Ramphal Commission on Migration and Development

Aim

This Commission has examined issues relating to global migration and development to:

  • maximise the developmental benefits of migration ( for individuals, countries at different stages of development, by means of training, remittances, investment ), and see migration in a more positive context
  • put the Commonwealth at the centre of a new awareness of the circulation of people, primarily for economic purposes, in the era of globalisation, and to reduce the exploitation of individuals
  • win a commitment to experiment from Commonwealth leaders, propose the piloting of new migration agreements, and analyse the impacts of existing ones
  • leading to meaningful action at international and national levels, in a field dogged by xenophobia, public concern over immigration, and deadlocks between more and less developed states

Participants

The Commissioners themselves are a diverse group of reputable people.They are closely connected to a range of Commonwealth countries and have worked over a working over a two year period to advocate their recommendations with governments and the media.

Commission members:

Chairman: The Hon PJ Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica (1992-2006);

The Hon Mr George Vassiliou, the former president of the republic of Cyprus from 1988 to 1993;

Mr Farooq Sobhan; former Foreign secretary of Bangladesh and President of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute;

Professor John Oucho, Founder and Chair of the African Migration and Development Policy Centre (AMADPOC);

Mr Will Day; Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, Former Chief Executive of Care International;

Ms Jill Iliffe; Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation; 

Professor Brenda Yeoh, department of Geography at the University of Singapore.


Practical Outcomes

The Commission has focused on practical outcomes, to enable governments, the private sector and trade unions to work together to make positive changes.

Following the work of the Commission at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, October 2011, leaders agreed to commit to maximise the economic and social benefits of migration to improve the resilience and prosperity of Commonwealth members, whilst addressing the challenges posed by irregular migration which undermines legal migration policies.

They:i. called for stronger international cooperation to manage migration effectively in countries of origin, transit and destination, in order to bolster migration’s positive effects and to enhance safety nets for migrants;

ii. called for cooperation in the fight against irregular migration, including in particular the readmission of own nationals staying irregularly in other states, in accordance with bilateral agreements and international obligations;

iii. in this context, articulated the link between migration and development, affirming the importance of adopting migration strategies that would reduce the cost of migration, and create incentives for diaspora communities to invest their financial resources and expertise in the development of their countries of origin;

iv. noted and encouraged participation in the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which Mauritius will host in 2012. 

The Ramphal-FAO collaboration on the role on migration, rural development, poverty and food security has contributed to the Perth Declaration on Food Security Principles. Perth Declaration on Food Security Principles.

Furthermore, the Ramphal Institute has brokered discussions between the Commonwealth Secretariat and the  International Organisation for Migration on the training of education officials to more effectively manage migration. To achieve this the Commission has assessed existing Commonwealth-wide arrangements to regulate migration (eg the Commonwealth Teacher Recruitment Protocol and the comparable agreement for health professionals).