In his introductory remarks, Mr. Olivier De Schutter (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food) pointed out the need to improve tenure security and a more equitable access to land since 1 billion people suffers hunger worldwide and around 80% of them depend on land; research has shown that a more equitable land access … Continue reading Tenure security, equitable access to land and the right to food
Land tenure and rural development
Ms Veniece Pottinger, Assistant Secretary General of the ACP Secretariat in charge of financing development, opened the 9th Brussels Development Briefing by recalling that land is an asset of enormous importance for billions of rural dwellers in the developing world, and especially in ACP countries where land is not just an economic asset, but has … Continue reading Land tenure and rural development
Growing interest in links between migration and development
Brussels, 11 December 2008: After the welcoming remarks of the CTA Director, Dr Hansjörg Neun, Klaus Rudischhauser (Director DG Development) highlighted the most recent EU activities in the field of migration and development. Cecile Riallant introduced the Joint Migration and Development Initiative as major innovation of inter-agency collaboration. Dr Hansjörg Neun opened the 8th Brussels … Continue reading Growing interest in links between migration and development
Inclusive partnerships for successful Diaspora initiatives
Leila Rispens-Noel (Programme Officer of Oxfam Novib) has worked for ten years with migrant Diasporas, thus she could give impetus from the field to the 8th Brussels Development Briefing. According to her, the role of remittances in agriculture is immense, and with effective financial and technical support and capacity-building, projects have the potential of successful … Continue reading Inclusive partnerships for successful Diaspora initiatives
Triple tax for migrants
Ken Ndiaye, socio-anthropologist and entrepreneur, was the last speaker of the 8th Brussels Development Briefing. He rounded up the session with a personal perspective on migrants' life in Belgium, arguing that they are burdened with a triple tax. He managed to bridge the gap between home and host country with his restaurant L'Horloge du Sud … Continue reading Triple tax for migrants
The Diaspora option to support job creation
Alache Ode, Chairperson of the Board of the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD) and manager of the Diaspora Volunteering Initative of the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), focused her presentation on the Diaspora contribution to rural and business development. Diaspora is a very contested concept, which is constantly evolving. Aspects of the working definition include de-territoriality, … Continue reading The Diaspora option to support job creation
How does international migration affect ACP rural development? – Audience reactions
What did participants at the December Briefing think of the discussions? We asked for some reactions: Antonique Koning from the EU/ACP Microfinance Programme underlines the increasing attention for remittances, and how these are not declining in spite of the current global financial crisis. There is however a need for more and better data on trends … Continue reading How does international migration affect ACP rural development? – Audience reactions
Understanding the role of remittances as a development tool
Peter Hansen from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) enriched the discussion with conclusions from his research on remittances in Africa. In contrast to the previous speakers, he rather highlighted the critical aspects of the "remittance mantra". In the worst case, the argument of remittances is used by governments to circumvent their responsibility for … Continue reading Understanding the role of remittances as a development tool
Long-term migration and remittances are not likely to fall significantly due to the financial crisis
Robert Meins, Remittances Specialist from the Inter-American Development Bank, explained the importance of remittances from a financial perspective. In doing so, he also referred to the possible consequences of the current financial crisis on remittance flows. In some countries, remittances constitute a major part of the national GDP. In 2007, the share of remittances was … Continue reading Long-term migration and remittances are not likely to fall significantly due to the financial crisis
Make migration work for development through managed migration
Tamara Keating, Head of Unit of the Implementation and Management Services of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) provided an overview of trends and key challenges and opportunities in migration and development. She called for "managed migration" as the best way to ensure that migration works for development, while human rights of migrants are protected. … Continue reading Make migration work for development through managed migration
