Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks while inaugurating the ‘Global Expert Meeting on Migration in the Post -2015 D
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday strongly advocated for ensuring the dignity and well being of migrants and treating them as the human being, not just as the elements of economic activity or production.
“They must enjoy all the rights as every other person,” she said while inaugurating the ‘Global Expert Meeting on Migration in the Post -2015 Development Agenda’ at a Dhaka hotel.
Bangladesh and Switzerland jointly organised the international meeting of world migration experts, aiming to secure a rightful place for migration within the emerging architecture of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The prime minister underscored the need for placing people at the centre of all the development pursuits to meet various challenges caused by the steady rise in population.
She said migration and migrant workers must be portrayed positively in both the origin and destination countries.
Sheikh Hasina said the mankind is witnessing an unprecedented mobility in human history, within and beyond borders with the continuous growth of world population.
She said technological advances, production management and demand for basic services are rising, and these are shaping the global human mobility patterns. “So, the rights of migrants should be central in all discussions and dialogues, and it is the growing need for social protection for migrants and members of their families,” Hasina told her audience.
She also outlined how the developed and developing countries together can, and must, beneficially address the challenges of global demographics, its dividends as well as harness the benefits of migration and mobility.
Hasina said Bangladesh, like many other countries, is engaged at the national and global levels on articulation of the Sustainable Development Goals within Post-2015 Agenda with considerable interest.
Over the past decades, she mentioned, Bangladesh accomplished laudable social and economic achievements, particularly in poverty eradication and women empowerment.
The prime minister said like in Bangladesh, providing employment for an increasing number of young people is a challenge. “The world must consider millions of young, trainable persons as resource.”
She called upon the developed countries to come forward to support the countries across Asia and Africa to equip the young people with knowledge and skills that are recognised across borders.
The government of Bangladesh has taken a special programme to train millions of the country’s youths, she added.
Referring to the immense contribution of about 25 crore migrants worldwide in their host economies through sending remittance and their contribution in sustaining the economic growth of destination countries, the Prime Minister underlined a few aspects for the consideration of the experts of the meeting as for possible targets and indicators.
These included identifying ways that migration can contribute to poverty reduction, augment growth, reduce inequality and empower people, especially women; creating an enabling atmosphere for migrants, especially women and girls, across the migration chain; provision for quality basic education and vocational and technical education for migrants and members of their families, matched with changing demand in markets; supporting the migrants with all forms of preparations to contribute in origin and destination countries; bringing all costs in migration process to a minimum, including the cost of remittances.
The prime minister said the above mentioned suggestions are also cross-cutting in terms of most linkages with poverty alleviation and sustained, inclusive economic growth.
With the implementation of these suggestions, she said, the sustainable development goals can prove to be visionary and transformative for all the countries over the next 15 years.
Sheikh Hasina termed the above suggestions as universal and called for solutions depending on the unique circumstances and needs of a country.
Foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, minister for expatriates’ welfare & overseas employment Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal also spoke on the occasion.
Source: Prothom Alo
