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Migration Trends and Development-oriented Solutions

The causes of international and internal migration movements are diverse and often difficult to distinguish from one another. Violence and (political) fragility as well as poverty and human rights violations are forcing more and more people to flee. At the same time, economic inequalities cause people to leave their countries or regions of origin in search of a better life. Furthermore, rapid-onset extreme weather events as a result of climate change may directly result in involuntary migration, while slow-onset environmental changes reinforce existing drivers of forced displacement and migration.

The Geneva Refugee Convention establishes a binding regime for the protection of cross-border refugees, despite the fact that it is increasingly under pressure. Internally displaced persons and people displaced by natural disasters and environmental changes, on the other hand, do not have a similar claim to international protection. Whether (labor) migrants can migrate safely, orderly, and regularly largely depends on the destination countries, which have sovereign control over their entry. In the absence of comprehensive solutions, development cooperation intends to contribute to reducing root causes of displacement, transitioning more irregular forms of migration into regular forms and supporting local integration, return and reintegration.

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