Migración
Eventos
2010
Diaspora Engagement in Haiti: March 29, 2010 Seminar
Please view the Powerpoint presentation and pdf document from the seminar.
Please view the Event Report for this seminar.
FOCAL’s First Seminar on Migration and Development:
“Linking Migration and Public Policy: Why Does It Matter?”
successfully launched a new seminar series on Feb. 11, 2010
Laura Chappell and Alex Glennie, research fellows with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the United Kingdom’s largest independent think tank, shared preliminary research findings and analysis gathered from an important international research initiative called “Development on the Move,” including ways in which migration has been found to impact a range of development indicators, as well as case studies of government policies that impact development either positively or negatively.
Ms. Chappell and Ms. Glennie emphasized that governments need to espouse a broader understanding of the relationship between migration and development –one that takes account of more than remittances and brain drain. They argued, among other things, that researchers and policy analysts must examine the process of movement, conditions experienced by migrants and important outcomes of migration if they are to fashion appropriate programs and policies harnessing migration for development.
Topics which garnered interest during the question and answer period ranged from the health and gender impacts of migration, to the impact of the global economic downturn on migration and development processes.
Participants at the seminar included representatives from the Canadian public sector, foreign embassies, research, institutes, non-profit organizations and consultant firms working on migration issues. Participants were also invited to call in to the seminar from across the country.
The second seminar topic will be announced on the FOCAL home page shortly. For more information, please contact Barb MacLaren, Project Manager for Labour Mobility and Development at bmaclaren[at]focal.ca.
Linking Migration and Public Policy: Why Does It Matter?”
Seminar Series on Migration and Development
I. Rationale
FOCAL is introducing a new component to its labour mobility project in 2010: a Seminar Series on Migration and Development. The first seminar, which will be held Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. at FOCAL, will focus on the question “Linking Migration and Public Policy: Why does it Matter?”
The new initiative aims to share expertise and good practice on migration and development management with stakeholder groups in Canada (including government, development practitioners, Diasporas and civil society) through a series of dynamic video conferences between January and August 2010.
The initiative intends to encourage meaningful civil society participation in an ongoing global debate on the migration-development nexus, which was evidenced by the large civil society turn-out at the 2009 Global Forum on Migration and Development in Athens, as well as by recent efforts of many countries to include migration issues into their existing development agendas (e.g. MDG plans).
This seminar series is also based on the thesis that linking development outcomes to migration processes – which involves creating incentives for positive impacts as well as mitigating negative impacts – is learned in large part through the sharing of effective practices, knowledge and regional expertise, including from civil society.
II. Objectives
The Seminar Series aims to identify and share:
a) New and innovative policies or programs that support migrant groups in ways that contribute positively to home communities, and
b) Research that can help policymakers improve policies or programs contributing to the migration-development nexus.
III. Selection criteria of topics
1) Related to one of the Canadian International Development Agency’s three thematic priorities: children and youth (including child health), increasing food security and sustainable economic growth
2) Under-researched academic field or emerging example of “effective practice”
3) Regional topics (Latin American and Caribbean) will be prioritized
Presenters will be asked to incorporate a gendered analysis (i.e. addressing questions about gendered outcomes and impacts) into their presentations.
IV. Outputs
Seminars will link presenters from around the world with Canadian stakeholders using video conferencing from the Canadian Foundation for the Americas’ boardroom.
Presenters are asked to submit at least one of the following: a PowerPoint presentation and/or a paper on their topic, to be posted on the FOCAL website and distributed to a listserv.
VI. Impacts
Increased knowledge and tools to better consider the migration-development nexus in program or policy formulation among government and civil society stakeholders, or on new areas of action-oriented research, among academics.
VII. Calendar of Seminars
The first seminar will be held on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the FOCAL boardroom, located at 720-1 Nicholas Street. Ottawa, Ontario.
Laura Chappell is a Senior Research Fellow at ippr. Since 2006, she has authored and edited a number of publications on migration and development and the economics of migration to the UK, both for ippr and for organisations such as the OECD and UNDP. Previously Laura worked as an ODI Fellow at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji and for the Liberal Democrat Policy and Research Unit on Treasury issues. Laura holds an MSc with Distinction in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Alex Glennie is a Research Fellow at ippr, where she has worked on a range of international and security issues since 2006. During this time, she has served on the Secretariat of ippr’s Commission on National Security in the 21st Century, contributed to a programme of research on migration and development and has led the Institute’s work on political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to this she worked at AccountAbility, an international NGO committed to promoting accountability for sustainable development. Alex holds a Masters degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and a BA honours degree in International History from the London School of Economics.
To RSVP, please send an email to Fatima Gardaad at fgardaad [at] focal.ca by Monday, Feb. 8, 2010
The website will be updated regularly with upcoming seminar dates (Under “Projects” - “labour mobility”)
If you would like to propose a presentation, or for more information, please contact Barb MacLaren, Project Manager at bmaclaren@focal.ca.
2008
June 23-24, 2008
Expert Dialogue on Labour Mobility, UNAM, Mexico City
Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Metropolis Project, the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) are holding an Expert Dialogue on Labour Mobility with academics, practitioners and public officials from all three North American countries. The objective of the event is to promote dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of managing labour mobility across North America, in the context of the bilateral Canada-Mexico Labour mobility working group. For more information, please contact Barbara MacLaren, Project Manager bmaclaren@focal.ca.
2007
December 4, 2007
Language, Migration and Immigration Canada
Symposium organized by the Association of Canadian Studies, held at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Cascades Lounge Room. Barbara Maclaren, FOCAL’s Project Manager on Migration, will be speaking at 2:15pm on immigration and migration in Canada.
2004
Conference on the Rights of Migrants and their Health, Guatemala, October 14-15, 2004
FOCAL participated in a conference sponsored by Canada, Mexico and Guatemala on the Rights of Migrants and their Health. Topics discussed were HIV AIDS; SARS and Migration Health; Health Care Delivery Systems; Health and regional /transborder realities; and Global and International tendencies.
Conference on the Causes, Effects and Consequences of the Migration Phenomenon and the Protection of Human Rights, Zacatecas Mexico, October 14-15, 2004
FOCAL attended this Conference sponsored by the United Nations and the Human Rights Commissioner of Mexico. FOCAL also sponsored the attendance of a specialist from the Caribbean to enhance the information sharing and increase knowledge on the effects of Migration in the Caribbean. The event was attended by UN Human Rights Commissioners from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Economic and Social Impacts of migration flows from Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico to Canada, October 12, 2004
FOCAL in partnership with the University of Zacatecas in Mexico hosted a workshop with experts from Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean on the Economic and Social Impacts of migration flows from Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico to Canada. A report on this workshop will be published shortly by FOCAL and a book with the dissertations and conclusions will be published in 2005. In the meantime you may access the agenda and some presentations made at the conference:
- Katherine Andrade - Labour Migration (PDF - presented by Olga Abizaid, FOCAL)
- Campos agrícolas, campos de poder: el estado mexicano, los granjeros canadienses y los trabajadores temporales mexicanos, (PowerPoint presentation) by Leigh Binford, Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.
- Latinoamericanos en Canadá: Historia migratoria, el contexto de recepción y diversidad en las formas de transnacionalidad, (PowerPoint presentation) by Luin Goldring, York University, Toronto, Canada
- De Hueyotlipan, Tlaxcala, a Ontario, Canadá: Migración y proceso de trabajo, (PowerPoint presentation) by Fernando Herrera and Óscar Calderón.
- Migration, Diaspora and Development in the Caribbean, (PowerPoint presentation) by Dr. Keith Nurse
- Trabajadores Agrícolas Migrantes y Procesos de Inclusión Social En Canadá: Encuentrso y Desencuentros (PDF) by Dr. Kerry Preibisch, University of Guelph
Special Session on Migrant Workers, at Organization of American States, Washington, September 30 - October 1, 2004
Sharon O'Regan was invited as a Guest Speaker to the Special Session on Migrant Workers, held at the OAS in Washington. She participated in the Special Session of experiences of civil society organizations and delivered a dissertation on the best practices of the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. The meeting was held in order to prepare an Inter-American Program for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights of Migrants including Migrant Workers and their Families. Ms. O’Regan's letter to the OAS Secretary General on this issue can be accessed here.
Conference on Remittances, Washington DC, July 22, 2004
Over the last decade, the size of remittances has doubled in the region to approximately US$40 billion. Latin America receives nearly one-third of the global flow of remittances as the top receiving area in the world and according to the IDB "For 2003, LAC remittances reached over US$ 38 billion, exceeding the combined flows of all Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and net Official Development Assistance (ODA)". Remittances are important for the Hemisphere, especially for Central America where one of every four adults receives remittance money. Taking this into account, the Leaders of the Americas, gathered at the recent Special Summit of the Americas, which took place in Monterrey, Mexico on January 12-13, 2004, committed to eliminate the obstacles that affect the cost of the transfers and reduce to by at least half the average cost of these transfers by 2008.
In follow up to this issue, the Summit Implementation Office of the OAS organized a conference on Remittances that was held in Washington DC on July 22, 2004. FOCAL which has completed a number of projects and publications on this subject was represented by its Executive Director, Donald Mackay, who brought a Canadian perspective to bear on the discussions. Mr. Mackay emphasized that in Canada's case the government's official policy of multiculturalism provided a supportive and enabling environment to address the complexities of the issue. He emphasized that with respect to the Caribbean some small states such as St. Kitts and Belize have an annual outward labour migration that is the equivalent of 1 to 2 percent of their population. While studied in the context of Latin America, remittances remain a key element when considering the Caribbean region as well. In total, remittances represent a source of financial flows that is estimated to be $5 billion and it's impact can be understood when one realizes that remittances represent fully 10.8 percent of the GDP of a country such as Jamaica. In Canada there are approximately 300,000 people of Caribbean origin. At the same time, Canada is the home of approximately 80,000 people whose origin is from Central America. These factors present a different situation to Canadian authorities when pursuing implementation of commitments made in the Summit of the Americas process.
Conference "Financial Access for Immigrants: Learning from Diverse Perspectives," Chicago, April 15 and 16, 2004
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago hosted this timely and informative two-day conference. It featured new research on the most effective practices for overcoming barriers to immigrant financial market participation. The discussions encouraged the sharing of ideas with presentations from academics and practitioners on a broad range of topics including traditional banking, housing and homeownership, entrepreneurship, small business lending, and remittances.
Workshop "The Caribbean Diaspora as a Development Agent," Washington D.C., April 14, 2004
The Inter American Dialogue and the World Bank hosted this workshop. Topics of discussion were Worker Remittances, Hometown Associations and Transnational Communities; Migrant Worker Investment and Nostalgic Trade; Human Capital and Return Migration; and finally, Designing and Agenda for the World Bank in the Caribbean. Discussions centred on the impact the Diaspora can have on policies both foreign and internal and how World Bank projects can best serve the Diaspora.
North American Integration: Migration, Trade and Security, April 1 and 2, 2004
FOCAL attended the conference hosted by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) on North American Integration: Migration, Trade and Security in Ottawa on April 1 and 2, 2004. The event was organized by IRPP in collaboration with the John Goodwin Tower Centre for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University (Dallas). The conference was the second in a series of three that brought together American, Canadian and Mexican scholars and practitioners. The conference focused on the relationship between trade, migration and investment. Also discussed were the issues and options related labour mobility and a North American perimeter, civil society inclusion and their role in trade negotiations, and the need for new institution to manage the relationships and issues.
Remarks by the director of the Centre For Strategic and International Studies Americas Program, Dr. Sidney Weintraub, on the topic of "North American Integration: Migration, Trade, and Security - Big Issues Come in Combinations", as well as an accompanying power point presentation, are available at here: PDF document - Powerpoint Presentation.
Inter American Foundation to Fund One-Year Program by FOCAL, February 20, 2004
Negotiations were completed in Washington D.C. between FOCAL and the Inter American Foundation in which the IAF will fund a two year program of activity by FOCAL on transnational community development in the Americas. The Inter American Foundation is an independent agency of the US government, created in 1969 as an experimental foreign assistance program. The IAF works to promote equitable, responsive and participatory development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The two-year work program funded by the IAF will have a number of components, but the main research will focus on the Haitian Diaspora in Canada and the United States and the Garifuna Diaspora also in Canada and the U.S. FOCAL will be conducting a complementary program of research on other Caribbean diasporas and on other Afro-Latino diasporas.
Workshop on Hemispheric Integration and Transnationalism in the Americas, Guatemala City, February 16-17, 2004
FOCAL organized a workshop on Hemispheric Integration and Transnationalism in the Americas in Guatemala City as part of FOCAL's work on migration, which explores migration as a development tool and its impact on economic development throughout the region. Focusing exclusively on the regional perspectives of migration in the Americas, migrant communities in Canada, the role of foreign cooperation and micro-financing initiatives, the role of the state in reaching out to diasporas and the future of transnationalism in the Americas, the workshop highlighted the importance of research and the need to engage governments and the private sector in migration issues. Among the participants were academics, government officials and representatives of non-governmental and multilateral organizations from Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
The main conclusions and policy recommendations that emerged from each panel discussion are outlined in the event's final report. In the meantime you may access the agenda as well as presentations made at the workshop.
Workshop on "Linking Back to Communities of Origin: Contributions of the Guyana's Diaspora," Georgetown, Guyana, January 30, 2004
A report on Guyana's transnational communities and their remittances from the United States was shared with participants of the workshop, which was hosted by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Participants included H.E. Roland Bullen, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana; Mike Sarhan, Mission Director of USAID; Dr. Manuel Orozco, the Inter-American Dialogue; Dr. Percy Hintzen, University of California at Berkeley; Dr. Vincent Adams, the Linden Fund of New York; Ms. Meigan Chan, Director of GUYAID of Washington and final remarks by the Guyanese Minister of Finance Mr. Saisnarine Kowlessar. The purpose of the study was to research and disseminate information on the US$90,000,000 per annum that is sent to Guyana in the form of remittances This amount represents 13% of Guyana's GDP; 16% of their merchandising exports; 83% of their total annual and 134% of foreign direct investment. Experts discussed how this issue can be seen as a tool for investment and development. These views can only be realized if there is an improvement of financial services offering greater efficiency and reduced rates. Governments need to concentrate on their tasks of promoting alliances with financial agencies through strategic agreements between governments and the banking industry. At this time there is no government involvement in monitoring funds transfers or interest rates and government need to address the fact that the Caribbean is the most expensive region for remitting funds.
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