July 2018: Both labor migration as well as protracted conflicts in the region have led to an increase in the migrant population of Arab states, according to a report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The report covers developments from 2015-2017 on migration and sustainable development in the region, and identifies SDG targets that are directly and indirectly related to human mobility. Titled ‘Situation Report on International Migration: Migration in the Arab Region and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,’ the report is published in the lead-up to the anticipated adoption of the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in late 2018.

The three-part report addresses: trends in international migration in the Arab region; changes in migration governance in 2016 and 2017; and linkages between international migration and the SDGs.

Approximately 41% of the global population of internally displaced people lives in the Arab region.

The report finds that approximately 41% of the global population of internally displaced people lives in the Arab region, and numbers of women migrants have increased, due to recent conflicts and violence. Various sub-regions have different migration patterns, with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) hosting a larger concentration of migrants than anywhere else in the world, and the Mashreq region serving as a source of labor migration and displacement due to conflict.

In terms of migration governance, Arab countries maintain restrictive and gender-based policies on access to nationality. However, the report notes some improvements in upholding the rights of migrant workers and in combating human trafficking.

The authors identify four types of relationships between migration and the SDGs: the level of development in an area as a driver for mobility; migration as an opportunity for development; migrants as contributors to development in their countries of origin and also in their countries of destination; and mobile populations as vulnerable populations whose specific needs should be considered.

They highlight SDG target 10.7 on facilitating orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, as well as other relevant targets: protecting migrant workers’ labor rights and providing a safe and secure working environment, especially for women (SDG 8.8); reducing the transaction costs of remittances (SDG 10.c); expanding scholarships for students from developing countries (SDG 4.b); eliminating trafficking in persons, especially of women and girls, and forced labor and exploitation (SDG targets 5.2, 8.7, and 16.2); and ensuring meaningful data collection (SDG 17.18).

The report refers to several international frameworks that can help governments assess their own policies: the Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration; the Migration Governance Framework; the Migration Governance Index; and a dashboard of indicators of measuring policy and institutional coherence for migration and development. [ESCWA Report Web Page] [Publication: Situation Report on International Migration: Migration in the Arab Region and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]