POLICY OPTIONS ON MIGRATION INCLUDE PROTECTING MIGRANT RIGHTS, INCREASED AID, INDONESIA TELLS COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

25 February 1997

Press Release
POP/638

POLICY OPTIONS ON MIGRATION INCLUDE PROTECTING MIGRANT RIGHTS, INCREASED AID, INDONESIA TELLS COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

19970225 Says Migration, Properly Directed, Could Enhance Economic Development; Need for Cooperation between States Sending, Receiving Migrants Also Stressed

The policy options on international migration include protection of the rights of documented migrants and increased development aid to countries of origin, the Commission on Population and Development was told this morning, as it began its general debate on national experience in population matters.

The representative of Indonesia said one way of preventing international migration was to negate the economic circumstances that caused skilled workers to leave. However, first a consensus was required on whether migration enhanced or retarded economic development in sending and receiving States. He stressed that, if properly directed, migration could enhance economic development for both the countries of origin and the recipient countries.

The need for dialogue and cooperation between sending and receiving countries was highlighted by several representatives. The root causes of migration, especially those related to poverty, must be addressed, the representative of the Philippines said. It was important to reintegrate returning migrants and use their skills and savings productively, he said.

The representative of the United States emphasized the continuing need for advocacy to fulfil the key objectives of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Also, broader reproductive rights programmes should be made operational to reduce instances of unintended pregnancy and maternal mortality.

The representative of Singapore said the proposed Technical Symposium on International Migration scheduled for 1998 should focus only on technical aspects, such as the definition of migration and the root causes of international migration. He stressed that since the United Nations development institutions had been under strong attack, the organization of another international conference on international migration and development was questionable.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Algeria, Malta, China, Tunisia, Mexico, India, Russian Federation, Turkey, Panama, El Salvador and the Republic of Korea. An introductory statement was made by the Director of the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Joseph Chamie.

The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its general debate.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on Population and Development met this morning to begin its general debate on national experience in population matters. (For background information on the session, see Press Release POP/635 of 21 February.)

Statements

JOSEPH CHAMIE, Director of the Population Division, Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, in introducing the general debate, said that the reason the item was on the agenda was that the Commission benefitted from an exchange of information on views and policies. The issues were widespread and cut across all areas in population matters. The views expressed were important to the work done in demographic and policy research.

PRIJONO TJIPTO HERIJANTO (Indonesia) said it would be a challenge to find a way to address the issue of international migration in a way that benefited all concerned parties. A consensus on whether migration enhanced or retarded economic development in sending and receiving States was still lacking. Due to the changing stages of development in both sending and receiving countries, the number of skilled migrants continued to grow, a trend that underlined the growing mobility of all people throughout the world. If properly directed, it could greatly enhance economic development, and the international community must maximize the benefits of migration for both origin and recipient countries.

He said that policy options should include further consideration of the protection of the rights of documented migrants and increased development aid to countries of origin, in order to either prevent international migration or to negate the economic circumstances that caused skilled workers to leave. A process of consultation among concerned parties should be conducted to foster better understanding, cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin and destination.

Indonesia was very much aware of the correlation between economic development and international migration, he said. Most Indonesian migrant workers were uneducated and unskilled, while most foreign workers in Indonesia were professional and managerial. In order to help correct that situation, which limited Indonesian development, the Government had strengthened training programmes in order to increase the number of professional and managerial workers in the Indonesian labour force.

He said he also wanted to offer a clarification to the Secretary- General's report on monitoring population programmes. In the first sentence

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of paragraph 28, the reports states, "Indonesia had recently formulated a policy to eliminate discrimination against Chinese migrants and their children". No such policy had been formulated, he said.

BENKHELIL RACHIDA (Algeria) said in the first two decades of her country's independence, population had doubled. As a result, the population today was extremely young. Major efforts had been made since independence to improve education and the living conditions of the population. The aim had been to check population growth through voluntary measures.

Since 1986, the population growth rate had been declining, she said. That drop proved that Algeria had entered a transitional phase of in fertility. The fertility index indicated 3.9 children per woman. The drop in population growth could be attributed to changes in marriage habits and increased use of contraceptives. At present, contraception was used by 57 per cent of the population. The current period was one of profound economic, social and cultural reform in the country. The aim was to spread the concept of family planning -- by the year 2000 contraception was to be made accessible to 60 per cent of the population.

Incentives would be used to bring about a more widespread use of contraceptives, she said. She stressed that Algeria's programmes to control population growth did not involve coercion. For the success of those programmes, open channels of information and communication were important. Also, strengthening data collection and analysis mechanisms was crucial. The roles of the State sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations were important in that regard. All of those sectors had to be active. A National Population Commission had been set up in 1996, which would guide and follow up on population policy. As regards international migration, a State secretariat had been created in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with Algerians settled abroad.

VICTOR SEYCHELL (Malta) said successive governments in Malta had consistently enacted and improved legislation for implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo. Population and development problems beset many regions of the world and posed a formidable challenge that many countries, acting on their own, could hardly hope to surmount. The problem could be tackled successfully only through the concerted efforts of the international community, acting always in full respect of the sovereign right of each country.

A second Euro-Mediterranean Conference would be held in Malta on 16 and 17 April, he said. That Conference would draw up a programme of action to consolidate and strengthen political, financial, economic, social, cultural and humanitarian relations among the countries of the region. The ultimate

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aim was to turn the Mediterranean into a region of dialogue and cooperation, where people would be guaranteed peace, stability and prosperity. The Conference would also review progress made since the first Euro-Mediterranean Conference held in Barcelona in 1995. Participants would include 15 European Union foreign ministers and 12 foreign ministers from the countries in the Mediterranean rim.

LI HONGGUI (China) said China's fertility rate had dropped to the replacement level, and excessive population growth had been basically brought under control. However, with a large base figure, the population would continue to increase substantially in absolute numbers in the coming decades. Therefore, a long-term and arduous task still faced China in promoting family planning to control the population quantity and to improve the quality of health and education for all people.

The most important aspect in that task was to stabilize the already low fertility rate, he said. That was especially difficult in the poorer, rural areas where there was a greater need for labour due to backward modes of production and where there also existed the phenomenon of early marriage and child-bearing. Hence, there was a gap between the desire of people in rural areas for more children and the nation's long-term goals and policy requirements. The State Family Planning Commission and the Leading Group for Poverty Alleviation of the State Council had co-sponsored an integrated approach to tackle the issue of population control and economic development in poor, rural areas. The approach sought to integrate rural family planning with assistance in agricultural production, daily life and child-bearing.

Since the 1980s, China's economic development had accelerated the process of urbanization, he said. There had also been a large increase in the migratory population to urban areas. With the assistance of the departments concerned, population and family planning associations had been established among migrants in some cities to help them overcome difficulties relating to employment, daily life and child-bearing. However, because the flow of migrants was very large -- and the flow from rural to urban areas was an especially complicated problem -- the issue still required further investigation and study.

FELIPE H. MABILANGAN (Philippines) said he hoped that the achievements of previous United Nations conferences would be built upon. Expressing concern at the lack of migration data, the absence of a coherent theory to explain international migration and the very weak understanding of the complex interrelationships between migration and development, he stressed the need for inter-agency cooperation in that area. The decision to hold a Technical Symposium on International Migration in 1998 was welcome.

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In today's changing world, international migration had assumed great importance, he said. A sizable number of Philippine citizens had left as migrants. However, the country expected to lower its rate of migration. In the past few years it had enjoyed growth, and increased employment opportunities were available. In addition, the policies of receiving countries were becoming more restrictive.

He urged all countries to ratify the 1990 Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families. Twenty Member States needed to ratify the Convention for it to enter into force. His country adhered to the principle that the family was the fundamental unit of society and should be protected. When a member of the family sought employment opportunities abroad, children suffered the most. Therefore, migration entailed cultural and social costs. Moreover, the economic marginalization of foreign workers could have consequences for the receiving countries as well.

He stressed that the root causes of migration, especially those related to poverty, must be addressed. There must be dialogue and cooperation between sending and receiving countries. The reintegration of returning migrants must be facilitated and their skills and savings should be used productively. He called for a United Nations conference on international migration and development.

ABDERRAZAK AZAIEZ (Tunisia) said his Government's programme of action aimed to eliminate poverty and gave priority to a multi-faceted approach, which took into account the problems of rural women and children. Protecting children was a base element in the policy of developing human resources, and programmes were being developed in basic education, nutrition and health. While children were the best investment for the production and stability of the country and for future generations, the development of women was the cornerstone of the measures put in place for the economic and social development of Tunisia. The Government was determined to ensure that the status of women as a development agent would be the same as men.

The final aspect of his Government's future-oriented development approach was to ensure a national consistency and uniform approach that incorporated low-income groups into national development, he said. The Government had implemented a more ambitious national programme for development. It aimed to strengthen the sense of dignity and national belonging of the most deprived sectors of the population by giving them the means for lifting themselves out of deprivation. The Government was also promoting the basic rights of Tunisian workers abroad. It had thus put in place a dynamic, coherent system to eliminate poverty, generally speaking.

RODOLFO TURAN (Mexico) said international migration was one of the great global phenomenon of the time. It would remain a major programme on the

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bilateral and multilateral agenda of countries for some time to come. He urged a spirit of responsible, respectful cooperation on the issue. The sovereignty of all countries should be respected and the sovereignty of any one country should not impinge on another. The migratory policy of Mexico was an effort to face the challenges of its situation. It was based on conciliation, dialogue and negotiation with its neighbours.

So far as the United States and Mexico were concerned, the two countries had commissioned a joint study on migration, he continued. The Governments hoped that the study would identify solutions. Mexico's efforts at cooperation with Canada had been fruitful, as well. Also, it had initiated dialogue with Guatemala, with whom it shared deep-rooted cultural affinity. Steps had been taken to look into the needs of border communities. In that region, a border crossing card would be provided to the agricultural labourers from the border communities. Mexico had also maintained an active asylum and refugee policy.

He stressed that the first regional conference on migration in the Americas had been held in Puebla, Mexico. Participants had included the countries of Central America, the United States and Canada. Regional cooperation was crucial to finding a solution to the migratory phenomenon.

Y.N. CHATURUEDI (India) said India was the first country to commence a family planning programme under the auspices of the government. The population programme had enabled India to achieve significant strides in decreasing the death and mortality rates, and the average family size had been reduced from more than 6 persons to 3.5. More than 200 million births had been averted through that programME, yet much work remained. The population programme, called the Family Welfare Programme, had evolved over the decades and had recently incorporated a reproductive and child health programme, in accordance with the Cairo Programme of Action. In April, the country would begin its ninth five-year plan. Existing programmes would be reviewed and steps would be taken to make them more effective and relevant to the needs of the people. The Government was also planning to put into place a system that would assess critical health and population levels at the district level, he said. That large task -- as India had more than 500 districts -- would enable local communities to know which districts were doing well and which needed to be improved. In the area of family planning, the Government sought to reverse two trends: the proportionately high use of sterilization in family planning; and the proportionally large number of women who were participating in family planning programs. To achieve those goals, the participation rate for men must be improved, so the programme as a whole could progress, and education programmes should stress other methods of family planning. The participation of non-governmental organizations would also be featured prominently in the coming year.

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BORIS AVRAMENKO (Russian Federation) said there had been a steady decline in population growth in his country. In the period from 1993 to 1994, the population had fallen by 1.2 million people, due to an increase in deaths over births. Cardiac disease was the leading cause of death in the country. It had been noted that the mortality of men of working age was much higher than that of women. However, life expectancy was practically the same in rural and urban areas.

So far as maternal mortality was concerned, it had previously fallen, but was now growing, he said. There had also been a fall in the birth rate, which was now 9 per 1,000. The fall in the birth rate would affect all sections of the population. A study of the reproductive situation in the country was crucial. It was notable that positive migration growth would not compensate for the decline in population due to the low birth rate. By the year 2010, the number of children in the country would be less than the number of pensioners, with 18 per cent of the population of working age and 21 per cent of the oldest age category. The morbidity and mortality of men would continue to decline. Thus, a stable growth of population could not be ensured. There was an acute need to deal with the crisis.

CRISPIAN TAN (Singapore) said, given Singapore's small land surface area and the lack of natural resources, his Government had conscientiously undertaken population planning since the beginning of its nationhood 31 years ago. The current population policy, introduced in 1987, sought to bring population growth to replacement fertility level and to maintain a balanced age structure. The implementation of the new population policy measures had been conducted through a multi-disciplinary approach, involving various ministries and relevant organizations. The policy measures included tax incentives for parents, tax deductible delivery fees, child care centre subsidies, sterilization counselling and a special housing scheme.

The international community needed to take cognizance of the issues of international migration and development, he said. However, the United Nations already had an existing institutional and legal framework in various agencies and commissions to handle the different aspects of the issue. It might be prudent for the Commission to focus on recent existing agreements, rather than duplicate efforts or create a new regime. The United Nations development institutions had been under strong attack from several quarters, so the organization of another international conference on international migration and development should be questioned. The proposed technical symposium, provided that the General Assembly approved the convening of it, should only focus on technical aspects, such as the definition of migration and migrants and the root causes of international migration.

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SAMIRA YENER (Turkey) said that the rate of decline in fertility in Turkey had been pronounced in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The trends for urban and regional fertility indicated, however, that some regions were below replacement level already and some would be that way soon. Statistics also showed that most women used some kind of family planning. The important role of men, who were involved in the decision of reproduction, depended on the social development of the status of men. Child mortality had also declined more rapidly than infant mortality. Advances in the survival of Turkish children had been achieved through immunization campaigns, the general improvement of social and economic conditions, and health care programmes. Turkey had also experienced rapid urbanization since the 1960s and more than 60 per cent of the population was now in urban areas.

Regarding international migration, Turkey started exporting its own workers to western European countries in the 1960s, and since then small groups of Turkish workers had been dispersed all over the world, she said. The dominance of male workers reflected the high percentage of "project-type" migration. Those workers were mostly skilled or semi-skilled and did not intend to settle down in the recipient country. Many Turkish workers living abroad were becoming self-employed and were seeking to become citizens of the countries in which they were living. However, for all occupations, Turkish workers received only 73 per cent of the pay received by native German workers. The lack of vocational training was part of the reason for that discrepancy.

Since the beginning of Turkish emigration of workers abroad, Turkey had cooperated with recruiting countries, he added. In the recently enacted seventh five-year development plan, a special emphasis was placed on ensuring the protection of the human and economic rights of Turkish workers and their families abroad. Emphasis was also placed on the establishment of Turkish employment associations abroad and the organization of trade unions, so the workers could solve their own problems.

RICHARD CORNELIUS (United States) said his country was acutely aware of the importance of population issues, being one of the fastest growing countries in terms of its population. Although the United States was in general a wealthy country, there were pockets of extreme poverty in its inner cities and rural areas. It was also faced with the problem of teenage pregnancy. However, the Government was working to address those issues.

The United States was also interested in population issues as a donor country, he said. Half of the United States overseas assistance was directed at the key goals of the 1994 Cairo Conference. Four challenges faced the international community, as it moved to fulfil the Cairo Programme of Action. First, there was the need for continuing advocacy for the Cairo programme, as public and political support for the population programme was important and

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had to be maintained. The role of the non-governmental organizations and civil society was important in that regard, and he welcomed the United Nations Population Fund decision to focus on advocacy. Second, it was crucial to make operational broader reproductive rights programmes. Unintended pregnancy and maternal mortality must be reduced, as well as the transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

A third challenge was to strengthen the system for contraceptive procurement, he said. Until all service delivery organizations had the ability to move supplies where and when they were needed, the system would remain weak. The final challenge was to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of population programmes. The United States had been working on improving reproductive health indicators and on sponsoring studies of reproductive costs. It strongly supported the goals of the Cairo Conference and would work with multilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations to that end.

GUILLERMO CASTRO (Panama) said Panama faced grave problems in its development. In order to promote a social development, the Government had created a programme focused on four basic areas: the struggle for equality; the modernization of social services; search for high quality in social development; and sustainable human development. He shared the view expressed by the United States that all migration should not be considered either good or bad. Rather, migration should be examined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account social and technical changes. Bilateral relations among the host and destination countries should also be considered, as well as countries that were both countries of origin and destination. The cases of migrants in transit to third countries also presented complex legal problems.

The changes occurring in the economies of global societies raised particular problems for countries like Panama, he said. Therefore, he attached great importance to the convening of the proposed technical symposium in 1998. He hoped that at the symposium countries could consider the role of the migration process in sustainable development and design bilateral and multilateral plans to reduce the risks of, while increasing the opportunities for, international migration.

HAZEL ESCRICH DE GUILLEN (El Salvador) said her country had been the first in Central America to formulate its population policy in an explicit way. Its present national population policy was the third that it had adapted to the changing situation. The population policy was geared towards peace and was based on the three basic principles of life, security and freedom of the person. Respect for human rights was an important element of that policy.

So far as the socio-economic indicators were concerned, important progress had been achieved in El Salvador, she said. From 1975 to 1994 the life expectancy had increased by more than 20 years. The rate of fertility,

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which had been increasing from 1950s onwards, had also registered a significant decline. In addition, the infant death rate had declined. However, the Government remained aware of the challenges before it. Sustainable annual increases in the budget had been earmarked for population purposes. It was also concerned with the situation of Salvadorans abroad. It firmly believed that the human rights of migrants must be guarded. She added that her country was interested in knowing the objective of the planned Technical Symposium on International Migration to be held in 1998.

NAM-HOON CHO (Republic of Korea) said his country had undergone demographic changes as a result of the Government's deliberate and concerted effort to regulate fertility through motivational activities, the provision of family planning services and improved health conditions. Although the Government's achievements had exceeded expectations in terms of population goals, several new population problems had emerged. Those posed at least the same magnitude of difficulty faced in the 1960s and required the same determination and imagination.

Rapid economic development had disrupted stable family life and, combined with the globalization of mass media, had contributed to drug use, unsafe sex and the breakdown of overall societal norms, he said. Socio- economic development was also bringing about a transformation in the lives of women. Korean women now had the opportunity to expand their role in society beyond the home, and Korean men were reluctantly accepting the changing role of women. Other consequences of rapid fertility decline included the shrinking of the labour force and the growth of the elderly population. His Government was considering a range of policy options and measures to address the labour supply problems, such as concentration on capital-intensive production, greater female labour force participation and the use of foreign workers.

Demographic changes and other recent concerns led his Government to adopt a new population policy in 1996, which emphasized the population's quality of life and welfare, he said. In overcoming problems associated with reproductive health and family planning, as well as the many challenges stemming from below-replacement fertility, the importance of the current family planning programme should not be underestimated. Attainment of demographic targets in itself was not the end, but the beginning of a process of adjustment societies had to undertake. It required strong commitment at all levels. His country looked forward to cooperating with all countries in identifying how common goals could be achieved.

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