GLOBAL MIGRATION

Humanity has always been on the move. Throughout history, we have migrated in search of new
opportunities, as well as to escape persecution, conflict and poverty. Movements of people
happen all around the world. But although migration is a global phenomenon, there is still no
global understanding of how to manage it.

Today people are moving more than ever before. There are presently around 258 million
international migrants. That figure has grown rapidly since the turn of the millennium, when
there were 173 million. Together with the increasing volume, we are seeing changing
demographics, advancing technology, evolving needs of labour markets and continued
challenges posed by wars, shortages, human rights violations and climate change. We sometimes
think of certain countries as sources of migrants and others as recipients. But most nations today
experience migration from all three perspectives – as countries of origin, transit and destination.

It is against this backdrop that the 193 Member States of the United Nations unanimously agreed
in September 2016 to negotiate a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. But
while this is an intergovernmental process, we have worked hard to ensure that we are getting
input from all sectors of society – from grassroots civil society organizations to multinational
companies to migrants themselves.

Over the past year, through our consultations, we have learned a lot about human mobility. For
example, there is more migration between countries of the global South than from there to the
global North. Asia hosts the most migrants, with 80 million residing in the region. And
remittances represent the largest source of external finance for many developing countries, way
ahead of official development assistance.

It has also become clear that we cannot just look at migration at the national level. This will not
tell us the whole story. After all, in a single country, you might have one city with a high migrant
population, but then almost no migrants living in a town an hour away. Looking at countrywide
statistics will not necessarily tell us how migration is affecting individual schools, hospitals,
universities, or businesses. It will not take into account varying local customs. The high number
of people crossing borders means that we need to work collectively to manage migration. We
need to think globally.

The reality of migration as seen in statistics does not always correspond to what we hear in
public discussions. If migration is managed properly, migrants can boost economic growth by
filling gaps in fast-growing sectors and by increasing the working age population. In general,
migrants pay more taxes than receive benefits. Newcomers also enrich the cultures of their host
communities, and those who return to their countries of origin bring back new skills and ideas.
Yet irregular migration is a continuous challenge that exposes migrants themselves to
exploitation and abuse. And host communities also have legitimate concerns that we need to
listen to.
Of course, governments decide on their own migration laws and policies – whether they have to
do with security, education, health or employment. They have done this throughout history. They
do it today. And they will continue to do so after we have adopted the global compact. This is
why they will be the main drivers of the negotiations, due to start in February 2018. No one is
threatening state sovereignty. All United Nations Member States already reiterated that.

While working to address migration, we cannot forget about human rights. All people are born
with fundamental rights and dignity. That includes migrants. In that regard, throughout the talks
we have had so far, I have been heartened to see the broad consensus on the need to protect the
human rights of everyone on the move. I have also seen agreement that migration should be a
choice, not a necessity. But it is not enough for the global compact to reiterate general principles
– it also needs to include actionable commitments that can make migration safer, more orderly,
and better regularized in reality. It should have an adequate follow-up and review mechanism to
make sure that these commitments do not just remain words on paper.

It is not easy to leave one’s homeland and start a new life. Behind every migrant family and host
community is a story. The stories can be positive or negative, but we cannot hope to understand
migration without hearing them. Overall, there is an urgent need to move from fractured
perspectives to a shared understanding, and a commitment to do things better.

Throughout all the discussions, I have not heard a single voice arguing that our current response
to international migration is sustainable. In fact, what I have heard instead is a resounding
rejection of business as usual. That is why the preparation of this global compact is one of the
key undertakings of the 72nd session of the General Assembly. As the United Nations is the
world’s center for multilateralism, I consider this to be an urgent test for our Organization. No
single country can manage migration on its own. This is exactly the type of issue that the United
Nations should be dealing with. It is time for us to lead the charge.

Migration is a key feature of our increasingly interconnected world. It has also become a
flashpoint for debate in many countries, which underscores the importance of understanding the
patterns of global migration and the economic impact that is created when people move across
the world’s borders. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), People on the
move: Global migration’s impact and opportunity, aims to fill this need.

Refugees might be the face of migration in the media, but 90 percent of the world’s 247 million
migrants have moved across borders voluntarily, usually for economic reasons. Voluntary
migration flows are typically gradual, placing less stress on logistics and on the social fabric of
destination countries than refugee flows. Most voluntary migrants are working-age adults, a
characteristic that helps raise the share of the population that is economically active in
destination countries.

By contrast, the remaining 10 percent are refugees and asylum seekers who have fled to another
country to escape conflict and persecution. Roughly half of the world’s 24 million refugees are in
the Middle East and North Africa, reflecting the dominant pattern of flight to a neighboring
country. But the recent surge of arrivals in Europe has focused the developed world’s attention
on this issue. A companion report, Europe’s new refugees: A road map for better integration
outcomes, examines the challenges and opportunities confronting individual countries.
While some migrants travel long distances from their origin countries, most migration still
involves people moving to neighboring countries or to countries in the same part of the world
(exhibit). About half of all migrants globally have moved from developing to developed
countries—indeed, this is the fastest-growing type of movement. Almost two-thirds of the
world’s migrants reside in developed countries, where they often fill key occupational shortages.
From 2000 to 2014, immigrants contributed 40 to 80 percent of labor-force growth in major
destination countries.