In preparation for the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) to take place in Turkey in 2011, the Migration and Development Series, organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the MacArthur Foundation, organized a pre-conference thematic event centered on the theme of “Migration, Development and Remittances”, which encompassed the development dimensions relevant to the needs of LDCs such as human resources and migration development cooperation policies.

It is recalled that although the Brussels Programme for Action for the LDCs for the Decade 2001-2010 (BPoA) contained only sporadic references to international migration, there has been increasing interest and attention given to migration over the last decade, generating important international policy initiatives within the United Nations and other international intergovernmental fora which have shown potential relevance for LDCs for a number of interrelated reasons. These cover the importance of remittances as an important source of income for many LDCs, consequently the most direct link between migration and development in the context of private investments and poverty alleviation measures; the relevance of engaging the diaspora on economic and community development; the impacts of brain drain and mitigation measures through brain circulation; vulnerability of LDCs to the impact of climate change in particular on human mobility, including the risk of displacements and the need for adaptation measures; and issues related to population movements in the context of national recovery strategies in post conflict, peace-building and recovery settings. In this age of globalization and unprecedented mobility, maximizing the positive relationship between migration and development is especially relevant for the LDCs.

For these reasons and others, it is fitting that in the framework of the preparatory process leading to LDC-IV a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the BPoA in reference to international migration and development be undertaken, with a view to the formulation of policy recommendations and the eventual inclusion of more structured references on how to harness the development potential of migration in the outcome of LDC-IV.

Seminar Objectives

• Identifying key gaps and priorities on migration data collection for the LDCs;
• Maximizing the benefits of human capital mobility;
• Leveraging migrant remittances and diasporas contributions towards development;
• Enhancing the capabilities of LDCs through capacity building, institutional reforms and partnerships;
•  Suggesting pro-poor and vulnerable population targeted measures to confront climate change, the effects of the global crisis and other vulnerability factors.