International Migrants Day 2024

19/12/2024

‘As a global community, we face a choice. Do we want migration to be a source of prosperity and international solidarity, or a byword for inhumanity and social friction?’ (Antonio Guterres)

I didn’t notice that yesterday was International Migrants Day. If I’m honest, it passed by vaguely on the edges of my awareness. I was too preoccupied by other things to pay it attention. I guess that’s how it feels for some who move within or across borders as a consequence of poverty, persecution, climate disaster or war. There – but not seen. Existing – yet as if not existing. I can only imagine how it is, how it feels, to escape from home with nothing left to hold onto apart from a flickering spark of hope. The poorest are by far the most vulnerable. That hurts.

Dire poverty steals the opportunity to move. ‘The poorest people generally do not have the resources to bear the costs and risks of international migration. International migrants are usually drawn from middle-income households.’ (United Nations). ‘Worldwide, roughly 85% of all refugees live in developing regions, not in wealthy industrialised countries.’ (Refugee Action). ‘70% of refugees live in (their) neighbouring countries.’ (International Rescue Committee). The poorest live – no, barely survive – on the borders, the edges, of their places of origin.

This begs strategy and policy questions as we face the future, especially in light of the growing number and scale of climate emergencies worldwide; a growing trend of autocratic-style governments that clamp down on dissent; growing risks of geopolitical tension and war and the associated likelihoods of increasing numbers of displaced people seeking sanctuary or a better life elsewhere. Building higher walls is one option. Investing in climate solutions; poverty-reduction; human rights; and peacebuilding is a more life-giving and sustainable alternative.

What do you think?

22 Comments

Elise West

19/12/2024 07:48:59 pm

Borders.
Lines etched in dust by human hands.
But hope,
Like wind,
Knows no boundaries.

The poorest stand at the edges,
Invisible and seen,
Fighting for the right to belong,
To breathe.

Walls may rise,
But they cannot stop the tide
Of dreams
Flowing to a better tomorrow.

Let us choose bridges,
Not chains.

Nick Wright

20/12/2024 01:12:23 pm

Hi Elise. What a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing it!

Hannah Salford

20/12/2024 01:13:21 pm

The wind carries whispers from distant lands.
Stories of lives uprooted,
Dreams scattered across borders like seeds on barren soil.

We speak of walls,
But what are walls to the spirit?
It soars, it fights, it persists.

Where one sees a tide of despair,
Another sees rivers of hope,
Flowing to shores where new roots can take hold.

It is not walls that will save us,
But the bridges we dare to build.

20/12/2024 01:14:20 pm

Hi Hannah. What a beautiful poem too. Thank you. It reminded me of Khalil Gibran's 'The Prophet'.

Anna Francis

20/12/2024 11:59:44 am

Hey Nick. "Building higher walls is one option." Is that what we’ve become? A world that walls itself off, brick by brick, to the suffering of others? No. Not in my name. Not while children drown in oceans because their homes burned, flooded, or crumbled to ash. Not while the wealthiest nations cry scarcity, clutching their resources like dragons guarding hoards of gold. We are at a turning point. The choice isn’t just policy, it’s morality. Will we stand by and let greed and fear drive us to abandon our humanity? Or will we rise to meet this challenge with courage and compassion? The time to act is now. Not tomorrow.

20/12/2024 01:24:41 pm

Hi Anna. Yes, that's a compelling ethical imperative - and great to see your concern and passion to make a difference on this front.

Frank Robson

20/12/2024 12:00:14 pm

Oh great, another blog reminding us about all the horrible things we’re doing wrong. Build walls, don’t build walls, invest in climate solutions. It all sounds so easy when you’re typing away on your laptop, doesn’t it? Here’s the thing nobody wants to admit: people care about their own lives first. And guess what? They have every right to. Telling struggling middle-class families in Europe or the US to “just open their hearts” while they’re worried about their own bills isn’t exactly inspiring.
Want change? How about the rich countries that caused half these problems in the first place pay up? But no, let’s keep wagging our fingers at ordinary people and see how far that gets us.

20/12/2024 01:30:47 pm

Hi Frank - yes, you're right - it's far easier to advocate these things on a keyboard than to bring about actual change in practice. The solutions are multi-faceted and, in many cases, beyond the means of ordinary people to address. We can, however, lobby 'the rich countries that caused half these problems'...and I would encourage you to do that. Every voice, email and message counts. Small actions, collectively, can influence change over time...and, I believe, that's our democratic responsibility and right.

Malcolm Burstow

20/12/2024 12:00:45 pm

Hi Nick. Your blog raises pertinent issues surrounding the global migration crisis, offering a dichotomy of policy approaches: fortification versus sustainable investment. The statistics cited underscore a critical imbalance in the international refugee burden, disproportionately shouldered by developing nations.

This calls for a systemic overhaul of migration governance. While the blog advocates for solutions like poverty alleviation and climate action, such strategies must also incorporate robust frameworks for international cooperation. For example, a global redistribution mechanism could ensure equitable sharing of refugee responsibilities among nations. Additionally, addressing the neoliberal policies that exacerbate economic disparities would be integral to mitigating forced migration. This debate transcends charity. It’s about restructuring global systems to enable fairness and resilience.

20/12/2024 01:35:27 pm

Thanks, Malcolm. Well said. Unfortunately, I see many governments pulling in the opposite direction. The best analysis and recommendations I've read on this front are by Alexander Betts and Paul Collier in their ground breaking book, 'Refuge - Transforming a Broken Refugee System' (2018).

Jack Prince

20/12/2024 12:01:07 pm

I’m with you on this one Nick: building walls just feels like sticking our heads in the sand. Instead of panicking, why not actually work on the root problems? Like climate change and poverty, stuff we know is only getting worse. It’s time we start acting like a global team instead of competing to see who can build the tallest wall.

20/12/2024 01:46:52 pm

Thank you, Jack. Yes, it does feel like sticking our heads in the sand and I agree that addressing root problems would be the best and most effective way forward. Sadly, many European governments are moving in the opposite direction (and have been since the migration influx in 2015-16); for instance, redirecting funds from international relief and development that would benefit the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, to pay support costs for those migrants who are often arguably the wealthiest and most well-resourced to have reached Europe in the first place. And the new US Administration's policy of rowing-back on climate change initiatives....who knows where this will all end.

Amanda Holbrook

20/12/2024 12:02:08 pm

Nick, your post rightly points to structural drivers of migration, such as poverty, climate change, and conflict. These align with research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2022) which identifies forced migration as a critical consequence of climate-induced environmental degradation. The growing intensity of climate emergencies underscores the urgency of adopting proactive, multilateral policies. Furthermore, your blog suggests two divergent responses to migration: "building higher walls" versus investing in "life-giving and sustainable alternatives." This aligns with Bakewell’s (2008) critique of securitized border policies, which often exacerbate the vulnerabilities of displaced populations without addressing root causes. Instead, Bakewell advocates for a development-oriented approach that prioritizes poverty alleviation and capacity building in origin and host countries.

However, the blog might benefit from engaging with critiques of international aid and development paradigms. Escobar’s Encountering Development (1995) challenges the assumption that Western-led interventions invariably produce equitable outcomes, arguing that they can perpetuate neocolonial dynamics. Thus, any proposed investments in climate solutions or poverty reduction must ensure meaningful participation from affected communities to avoid reproducing systemic inequalities. The emphasis on peacebuilding and human rights also reflects contemporary scholarship. For example, Koser’s (2010) work on migration and security illustrates how policies fostering inclusion and integration reduce social friction and enhance stability. Yet, this requires coordinated global governance, a theme echoed in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (United Nations, 2018), which aims to harmonize efforts across borders while respecting state sovereignty.

In conclusion, the blog aptly calls for a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive migration management, emphasizing investment in sustainable solutions. By grounding its arguments in empirical evidence and integrating interdisciplinary perspectives, this approach could contribute meaningfully to global policy dialogues. Future discussions should focus on operationalizing these principles, ensuring that solutions are both equitable and actionable.

References
Bakewell, O. (2008). "Keeping Them in Their Place: The Ambivalent Relationship Between Development and Migration in Africa." Third World Quarterly, 29(7), 1341–1358.
Escobar, A. (1995). Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World. Princeton University Press.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2022). Sixth Assessment Report: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability.
Koser, K. (2010). International Migration and Global Governance. Oxford University Press.
United Nations. (2018). Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration.

20/12/2024 02:04:04 pm

Hi Amanda and thank you for providing such a detailed and thoughtful response, including references to further resources. Much appreciated. I agree that investments need to take into account the needs, interests and priorities of affected countries and communities, and that by effective and equitable participation - not by the powerful and wealthy deciding on others' behalf.

The waters have become very muddied however by, for instance, the UK's merging of DFID and FCO: 'allowing the UK to strategically spent aid money, not necessarily in the poorest countries or on projects which address the most pressing global need, but on projects which advance the UK’s interests overseas.'https://css.leeds.ac.uk/from-dfid-to-the-fcdo-what-does-this-mean-for-uk-aid/)

Disentangling investments in root causes of migration from broader (and often inexplicit) political and economic interests is never easy. We see similar questions arising with, for instance, US, EU, Russian and Chinese investments in other countries and continents with agendas that, as far as we can tell, go way beyond their stated aims. We can only hope they have, on balance, positive net effects for the poor and most vulnerable.

Tod Marshall

20/12/2024 12:02:47 pm

Get real Nick Wright. We're already flooded with migrants. Didn't you notice the summer riots? People are sick of putting migrants above their own people. UK net migration: 728,000. That's just 1 year. If you don't believe me: https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/long-term-international-migration-flows-to-and-from-the-uk/

20/12/2024 02:09:13 pm

Hi Tod. Yes, net migration to the UK - and other countries and continents - is pushing migration-related issues, concerns and questions higher up national and international political and local community agendas. I believe that adds to the need for urgent debate to address issues, concerns and solutions openly. The UK governments' actions to suppress expression of concerns is, in my view, damaging, counterproductive and dangerous.

Kieran O'Brien

20/12/2024 12:06:21 pm

Hi Nick. The image you used reminds me of Mary and Jesus. Perfect for advent. I want to say something about migrants and migration as part of our church reflections and prayers this weekend. It's a very important issue at the moment. Can you point me to any biblical material I could use?

20/12/2024 12:24:23 pm

Hi Kieran. Yes, the image had that same resonance for me too. I agree, this is a very important topic - especially concerning asylum-seekers and refugees. It's a stark theme throughout the Bible too. For example:

*In the Exodus, God liberated his people from dire oppression and persecution in Egypt.
*God gives an ethical instruction to his people to not oppress foreigners living among them (e.g. Exodus 23:9).
*In the Exile, God's people were driven out of their own land by foreign powers and forced to live in other countries.
*When Jesus was born, King Herod wanted to kill him so he had to escape as a refugee into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23).
*When he returns to him home land, Jesus faces dire persecution by the religious authorities and is tortured and executed by the political authorities.
*Jesus' followers were then persecuted by the religious and political authorities and were imprisoned, tortured and executed.

I hope that's useful and provides a biblical basis for reflection on migrants and migration during advent.

Clive Redman

20/12/2024 02:27:34 pm

People move abroad for all kinds of reasons, Nick. It's not just for refuge and asylum. I don't know if you've lived abroad but your website says you've worked in 16 different countries. I've lived in other countries with my work and enjoy the adventure of moving around. Migration is much bigger than asylum!

20/12/2024 02:30:29 pm

Hi Paul - that is correct, and International Migrants Day itself focuses on far more than refuge and asylum. Poverty and vulnerability are, however, my own main areas of interest and concern. I'm sure you'll agree there's a huge difference between choosing to travel abroad and being forced (in effect) to flee.

Martin H

21/12/2024 05:18:30 pm

You saw what is happened in Magdeburg, right?

21/12/2024 06:27:20 pm

Hi Martin. Do you mean at the Christmas Market attack yesterday evening? Yes - absolutely horrifying.