Regional Workshop on Migration and Economic Development in Africa

MI was invited to present the Threshold 21 (T21) model and its utility for understanding migration issues; especially how it can support mainstreaming them more effectively into poverty reduction strategies and other national development planning instruments. MI was represented by Dr. John Shilling, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Andrea Bassi, Senior Modeler.

In their presentation, Dr. Shilling and Mr. Bassi demonstrated how flows of population between countries creates a complex system whose impact on socio economic conditions can be more fully understood - and for which effective policies can be developed - with dynamic simulation models such as T21.

The workshop concluded, among other things, that policy makers need effective tools to make informed policy choices that can enhance the positive impact of migration on development. One of the recommendations was development of human and institutional capacity for data collection and analysis both at national and regional levels.

The Migration and Economic Development in Africa workshop is part of the follow-up of the United Nations High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, held in September 2006 in New York, where the participating States expressed broad support for the integration of international migration into national development strategies, including, eventually the strategies to reduce poverty. The workshop was attended by participants representing the five Africa sub-regions and the Diaspora, the African Union, the regional economic communities, governments, universities, civil society organizations and the private sector representatives. Further information on the workshop and its outcomes can be found at http://www.iom.int/senegal/ateliermigeco.html