MIGRATION & DEVELOPEMENT

Traditionally treated as separate policy portfolios, migration and development are today increasingly viewed through the prism of the many links that exist between these two fields. While development-oriented actions can help in tackling the root causes of migratory flows, migration can, in turn, contribute positively to development, including economic growth, social empowerment and technological progress.

The development agenda is increasingly acknowledging the role of migration, remittances and their economic consequences, and the corresponding policy dialogue is exploring ways to increase their role in reducing poverty and enhancing growth. The positive effects of migration on developing countries include benefits through the money that migrants send home – remittances – but other channels of transmission are equally important such as the transfer of knowledge, and enhanced investments in human capital and technology.

Migration, however, should not be viewed as a substitute for economic development in the origin country since those positive flows of knowledge, human and financial resources need to be accompanied by sound domestic economic policies.

IOM defines remittances as money transfers that migrants make to the country of origin, in other words the financial flows associated with migration and therefore aims to facilitate the development of policies and mechanisms that improve remittance services to migrants and to enhance the development impact of remittances.
In this regard, the IOM Mission in Albania, is actively engaged in strengthening the understanding of the linkages between migration and development, and in bringing that knowledge to policy dialogue at the national level. Research undertaken by IOM Tirana in 2005 shows that beyond the individual household level, “no concerted effort has to date been made to utilize remittances as a significant source of capital for socio-economic development for Albania” and that “government policies and initiatives to date, which aim to promote savings and investment of remittances, are virtually unknown to migrants abroad due to lack of information and lack of incentive mechanisms.”

In addition, IOM Tirana, in collaboration with ILO is implementing the project “ENHANCING THE IMPACT OF MIGRANT REMITTANCES IN ALBANIA: CREATING AN INTEGRATED MIGRANT REMITTANCE SYSTEM”, with the financial support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This project has a two-fold objective: to raise awareness among Albanian migrants and their families about investment opportunities in Albania and to help create and strengthen structures and mechanisms at local level which facilitate the use and investment of remittance in income-generating activities.