IOM: Invest now for tomorrow's generation

The world will be taken by surprise by the relentless pace of migration unless States, international organizations and civil society make a concerted effort to invest in how they respond to it, says the World Migration Report (WMR) 2010 launched today by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The report, "The Future of Migration: Building Capacities for Change", argues that in a world where demographics, economic needs and the effects of environmental change are driving the inexorable rise in numbers of international migrants, governments and non-state actors have little choice but to invest adequate financial and human resources to ensure States, societies and migrants reap the full potential of future migration.

Although hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year to strengthen the ability of States to effectively manage migration, WMR 2010 notes that responses to current and emerging migration challenges and opportunities are often short-term, piecemeal and fragmented. This is having a profound effect on human mobility and economic and social development, with every country affected in some way.

"The risk of not putting in place policies and adequate resources to deal with migration is to lose an historic opportunity to take advantage of this global phenomenon," says IOM Director General William Lacy Swing. "Given the unrelenting pace of migration, the window of opportunity for States to turn the negatives of migration into positives is rapidly shrinking."

If the number of international migrants, estimated at 214 million in 2010, continues to grow at the same pace as during the last 20 years, it could reach 405 million by 2050.