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The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), today presented - in the framework of the celebration of “International Migrants Day”- the “Fourth Report of the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI 2017).”
The SICREMI 2017 report (available here) highlighted the following data:
The study presented at the headquarters of the hemispheric institution in Washington, DC., highlighted that "In recent years, the deceleration of economic growth in Latin America and the global recovery in advanced countries have led to an increase in outflows from LAC, in particular to Spain and to the United States. In the latter case, total permanent immigration increased both in 2014 and 2015 – without, however, recovering its pre-crisis level – while temporary migration reached 1.9 million in 2015. In addition, annual entries to Canada represent about 1.7% of the total population, the highest rate after Barbados and before the United States. In the Americas, as in other parts of the world, migration trends have been reinforced by the increase in the number of people fleeing their countries, whether from natural catastrophes, or economic or political instability." In addition, the report notes that “A significant proportion of the increase in intra-American migration, however, can be attributed to persons fleeing conflict zones, natural catastrophes or conditions of economic collapse or underdevelopment, for example in Colombia, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. In other words, the increase in immigration in this region cannot be entirely viewed through the lens of a greater-economic-integration perspective.”
The OAS Assistant Secretary General, Nestor Mendez, stressed that "today we have overwhelming evidence confirming that the practice of respecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants benefits both migrants and the countries of destination, both for the growth of its economy and social cohesion. Unfortunately, the violation of the human rights of migrants is an undeniable reality. The risks of death, extortion, xenophobia, trafficking and trafficking in persons, the separation of families, forced return to the country of origin, and violence exercised by organized crime, are not a reality alien to our hemisphere. That is why we must continue working for a human rights approach to migration and the explicit recognition of the economic and social contributions made by migrants," he added.
For his part, the Head of the Division of International Migration of the OECD, Jean-Christophe Dumont, assured that the study “SICREMI 2017” helps “to understand the overall magnitude of migration movements at regional level, their nature, their evolution over time and how they are affected by changes in policy.” He added that the report also shows “how immigrants are faring and contributing to the economy, and the labor market, in both destination and origin countries,” and “tries to monitor and describe migration policies and identify common challenges across countries and differences in terms of policy responses.”
Since its inception in 2009, the objective of the SICREMI project has been to compile, analyze and publish statistics on international migration in the Western Hemisphere, and also from the countries of the Americas to OECD countries. The publication shows recent changes in migratory movements and policies in the Americas.
Reference: E-093/17