Human development report 2009

Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development

• United Nations Development Programme

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Image: James Akena / Oxfam International on flickr

09 October 2009Migration not infrequently gets a bad press, especially in times of recession. This report seeks to broaden and rebalance perceptions of migration to reflect a complex and highly variable reality.

This report applyies a human development approach to the study of migration. It discusses who migrants are, where they come from and go to, and why they move. It looks at the multiple impacts of migration for all who are affected by it -- not just those who move, but also those who stay.

In so doing, the report’s findings cast new light on some common misconceptions. For example, migration from developing to developed countries accounts for only a minor fraction of human movement. Migration from one developing economy to another is much more common. Most migrants do not go abroad at all, but instead move within their own country.

Image: Waiting for decision of the Pater officials to see if migration will be a possibility. James Akena / Oxfam International on flickr