Youth Migration Consultation - Groupes virtuels - Communauté

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De:	MICHAEL BOAMPONG [ Profil ]
Sujet:	[YouthMigration]
Envoyé:	Aug 25th, 2006 - 10:26:08
Pièces-jointes:	Week 1_Michael Boampong.doc

	Introduction I am Michael Boampong, and I am 20years of age. I am currently an undergraduate student of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.I am also the founder and the Executive Director of Young People We Care (YPWC), which is a youth-led and rural oriented organization that embarks on action projects that are geared towards the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).I am also currently the Project Ambassador for Ghana for the One World Youth Project. I am a Ghanaian by nationality/citizenship and also I am resident in Ghana. Personal Experience on the issue of Migration When Young People We Care (YPWC) was selected as participation NGO for the just passed Informal Interactive Hearings of the General Assembly, I was supposed to represent the organization at the hearings. I was also selected as a fully funded speaker for Segment 4, which meant that my participation at this all important meeting was very crucial. However, to my utter dismay, I was denied an Entry Visa for the meeting. I can not forget the securitization that I had to go through for this legitimate travel that I was supposed to embark upon. At the final stage of my interview the consular officer told me that most of the statements that I made to him was not qualified for the programme, because most of the response to the question on migration that I answered when he posed them to me were found in the Secretary Generals report on Migration and Development and as such my presence at the hearing was not going to bring about anything new on the issue of migration. Despite all attempts to correct the perception of the consular officer on the fact that my organization was selected to react to the Secretary Generals report during the interactive session, I was issued a REFUSAL STAMP, instead of an ENTRY VISA. Section 1: Effects of international migration on economic and social development - What are the main economic and social benefits and drawbacks of migration for young migrants and for their home and host countries? Do you think that the benefits of youth migration outweigh the drawbacks? - Who benefits the most from youth migration national governments, local communities or the young migrants themselves and their families? The cost and benefits of youth migration are distributed, unevenly between and within countries and social groups and it is dependent on the nature of migration in question and on the links which migration establishes between places of origin and destination areas. Migration is important economically and politically because of the links it establishes between countries. More so, migration does necessarily lead to brain drain if links are well established between host and home countires.Flow of remittances and other resources and the return of migrants with new skills can offset the loss that migration seem to present and may even lead to brain gain. Furthermore, surveys have shown that remittances sent home by international migrants through official channels amount to $93 billion per year with informal transfers including, remittances would amount to around $300 billion per year. For most countries like the Philippines remittances forms a major component of National Income. These are likely to help countries in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).A news item in the Daily Graphic confirmed that the amount of remittances at the first quarter of the year was US$2billion and it is projected to be US$8billion at the end of the year. Remittances account for the third largest in flow of funds to Ghana. Remittances very cardinal so far as international migration is concerned, because of its multiplier effects on an economy. Migrant remittances increase family incomes and also help to defray educational, health and other cost, which possibly helps to improve the quality of human capital. The World Banks recently published figures based on the research conducted by Migration DRC has also shown that global benefits of a further three per cent increase in migration to developed countries could yield a 356 billion dollars increase in global income, dwarfing aid or Foreign Direct Investment. Migrants tend to provide/create jobs .They set up small scale business with their wages that that they have had during their stay abroad. Others also add their entrepreneurial skills. Partnership with migrant home association abroad by governments and community leaders also tend to help in the implementation of projects like school buildings. The costs of such projects are normally borne by these associations. One negative effect with the current trends of migration and the ascendancy of the rate of international migration to about 200 million with young people under age 30 today composing the largest group of international migrants (32-39 million), shows the fact that it may reduce wages or lead to higher unemployment among low skilled labor in advanced economies in the near future. We must not also lose sight of the issue of demand for qualified and skilled manpower by developed countries. Brain drain is really a compelling issue. No developing country can ignore the ongoing exodus of skills, which is likely to draw developing countries like Ghana in its quest to help in the attainment of the Goal 4,5 and 6 of the MDGs. One recommendation I have always had for the problem of brain drain is that since other countries are competing with developing countries like Ghanas skill labor, a potentially rewarding solution might be to formulate skills export and import polices by training human resource in Ghana for the labor markets of target countries. This could even serve as a source of income to the sending country. Migration cannot overcome all types of market failure. If households cannot replace those who migrate with hired workers or labor-saving devices, production may fall. Thus, while international migration may reduce production in migrants sending households in the short-run, in the long-run it will raise production as households with migrants abroad become better able to invest and adapt to the absence of the migrants (Massey and others, 1998). Based on analysis that were made by YPWC for the Informal Interactive Hearing of the General Assembly for Migration and Development, I can say that the benefits of migration outweighs the consequences of migration. It however, contingent on how policy makers define their intentions on migration. Limiting the consequences of migration and developing polices that will maximize the positive impact of migration will defiantly help in the realization of benefits of international migration. Young migrants and their parents and siblings are the main beneficiaries of youth migration. Section 2: Ensuring the human rights of migrants - What policies does your government operate to guarantee the rights of young migrants? Are there special measures in place to protect the more vulnerable (for example, young women)? - How can young people within civil society work to decrease the risks of youth trafficking and abuse of young migrants? Can the use of information and communication technologies help in this respect? The current social and economic policies for migration has brought about increased cases of human trafficking ,illegal migration , poor working conditions, frequent abuses and violations of human rights and smuggling networks which are both dangerous and exploitative in nature. For the majority of would-be migrants, these routes represent the only way to enter an industrialized state. Young People We Care (YPWC) welcomes the participation of the government of Ghana at a meeting which was organized in July, 2006 in Morocco which was aim at reducing the incidence of human trafficking and the protection of migrants right.Ghana was representing by the Minister of Women and Childrens Affairs who signed this multilateral agreement together with other member states of central and west African states. This will control the plight of victims of human trafficking and the rate of illegal immigration. However, before the goal of this agreement could be realized governments should facilitate migration possibilities for youth who form the majority of illegal migrant along the Canary Islands. Most importantly, sending countries can mitigate the risks involved in migration. Trafficking and illegal migration can be lessened if youth organizations can lobby for development more work opportunities domestically. Also, a coalition of youth organization and the sharing of information on the plight of illegal migrants could also less cases of illegal migration. Section 3: Remittances - Do you think remittances provide an effective source of growth for developing countries? Why (not)? Should governments ease the process of sending remittances to home countries and reduce remittance fees? - How can remittances from young migrants be put into more productive use in their home countries (for example, programs for local development)? Remittances are a major source of growth for developing countries. For instances, for most countries like the Philippines remittances forms a major component of National Income. These are likely to help countries in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).This high amount of remittance is said to be as a result of the commitment of the Philippines government to its foreign communities. Despite these advances, transfer fees are still high, especially in low-volume corridors, and currency-conversion charges, which are not disclosed to customers before the transaction takes place, continue to be a drain. Governments can do much to increase competition in the remittance market and maintain pressure on fee reduction, including: lowering capital requirements for the establishment of transfer services and open postal, banking and retail networks to non-exclusive partnerships with money-transfer agents; requiring moneytransfer agents to disclose all charges and fees before a transaction is made; and disseminating information on costs in a systematic manner. Expanding access to banks and banking services is also important. Governments can facilitate the establishment of branches from overseas banks and promote the participation of commercial and savings banks, credit unions and microfinance institutions in remittance services. Remittances can be saved in deposit accounts, bearing interest, which can themselves provide the resources needed to deliver other financial products, such as loans or insurance, particularly to the populations of the communities of origin. To promote the use of formal channels for the transfer of remittances, Governments of both countries of origin and destination can reduce regulatory constraints hindering the use of banking institutions by migrants. It is also important to assist migrants and their families in the countries of origin in improving their financial literacy, taking into account that women, while often better managers of household finances than men, may face cultural barriers in gaining access to the services of financial institutions. Evidence indicates that wages or land prices are higher in regions with large numbers of migrants abroad. These price changes may reduce production unless productivity also increases, thus for remittances from young migrants be put into more productive use in their home countries ,governments and all stakeholders must ensure that the cost of acquiring land or the prices of land are very stable and economical for setting up business or incoming generating activities. Financial intermediation among remittance senders and recipients could be enhanced by providing more information and education to the recipients and senders of remittances that are sent by youth migrants. This will help recipients at home to better invest the more for better returns in the future rather than to squander the money For instance, research has shown that Indonesian trainees in Japan, for example, have very limited knowledge on how to open an account at a Japanese bank, what kinds of services Japanese banks provide to customers, and what remittance transfer options are available through the banks (such as using registered mail, acquiring an international card, and the associated fees, and other costs). Systematic information dissemination mechanisms and materials can be made available to foreign youth migrant workers through the media, seminars and events, organizations, and so on may improve their participation in the financial sector. In the case of remitters from Japan, for example, pre-departure seminars could be provided through Japanese embassies or representative offices of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in counterpart countries. --------------------------------- All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

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