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On International Migrants’ Day, Young People We Care (YPWC) would like to acknowledge the contributions of migrants to their host and sending countries in the form of remittances and skills transfer, among others. YPWC would like to make the following recommendations to the government of Ghana, to young people, and to host and sending countries: Both sending and host countries must work in cooperation in designing effective temporary labour migration programmes that allow individuals to work in other countries for a fixed period and under agreed conditions.
The introduction of new measures to address the brain drain, whereby developing countries are losing the best educated and most entrepreneurial citizens trained in vital sectors such as health and education, is highly encouraged and should be practiced. A typical action is in the case of the Government of Ghana with the collaborative support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in making health workers take holiday jobs in the health sector of Ghana.
Furthermore, there should be a strengthening of the development potential of migration, for example, by making it easier and cheaper for migrants to transfer remittances to their communities of origin. Further priorities should include helping resolve the problem of migrants with irregular status (those who enter or remain in a country of which they are not citizens and are in breach of national laws) through better dialogue and cooperation between states, facilitating return or regularization for those who have already entered the country with irregular status, whilst ensuring human rights are respected.
With increasing competition for skilled workers, sending countries could also work towards providing education and skills training for youth, so as to better prepare their citizens for jobs at home, and, in turn, enrich the input into their own economy. This possibility echoes Millennium Development Goal 2: achieving universal primary education. To this end, governments, in collaboration with consulates, embassies and other concerned institutions, should adopt and promote the concept of “peer-led initiatives and encourage young people” in the Diaspora to undertake community-based initiatives promoting civic participation.
We are familiar with the abuses to which many migrants are subjected. While it is true that the human rights of migrants are also protected under the six core UN human rights treaties to which all states are bound by ratification, our studies show that the protection available in those instruments is not being used effectively. The specificity of the human rights violations of which migrants are victims still requires specific international protection, which is provided for by the UN Migrant Workers Convention.
We are of the opinion that the United Nations should remind all States that all human beings have human rights and that migrant rights are human rights. According to the recent past Secretary-General himself, human rights are the core values of the UN, without which neither security nor development can be achieved. International cooperation is also crucial in the struggle to protect people against the odious crime of human trafficking.
After monitoring reports on the alleged gruesome murder of some Ghanaians in Gambia and the latest report on the alleged ‘ritual killing’ of some Spain-bound Ghanaian immigrants in Senegal, it has now become evidently clear that the best way to deal with this canker is to encourage the youth to either travel through legal means or do their best to make the most of the opportunities at home. Through this release, we would also like to add our voice to calls by Civil Society Organizations, the media and institutions that are concerned with the powers that be to help unravel the circumstances surrounding the gruesome massacre of our cherished citizens in those two countries mentioned.
Young people, from sending countries like Ghana, are reminded to take advantage of educational, economic and employment opportunities in their home countries rather than embarking on journeys in which they have little idea about their chances for success. Intergovernmental cooperation in this field is also needed to create more legal opportunities for young people to migrate on temporary programmes. This will also reduce illegal migration. Professor Steven Vertovec, Director of the Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) explains that “merely putting up higher barricades, creating tougher living conditions and wishing away migrants and asylum-seekers will certainly not stem the flows that are inevitable in today's interconnected world.”
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Writer Profile
MICHAEL
Michael Baompong is the Founder and Executive Director of Young People We Care (YPWC). He has recently completed a four-year undergraduate degree at the University of Cape Coast, where he read Economics and Geography as his major courses. Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences He is an ardent believer in youth empowerment and believes that if the youth are not empowered now, the world’s future will be nothing to write home about.
He participated in the recently-held Civil Society Day of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in the Philippines where he made a strong case for youth migration.
In September 2008, he successfully managed a joint initiative that was undertaken by YPWC with support from UNICEF Voices of Youth, Global Youth Action Network, Migrants Rights International and TakingITGlobal for the creation and publication of some key youth statements for the Global Forum on Migration and Development in the Philippines.
He was nominated in 2006 by the Task Force Committee of the UN-Non Governmental Liaison service to present a paper on Migration and Development at the UN Headquarters in New York. Michael was also a youth delegate to the 2007 Global Forum on Migration and Development and also the Regional Consultation on Migration, Remittances and Development in Africa.
Aside the numerous contributions that he makes on youth and development issues on networks like TakingITGlobal he also has a research work findings on International Migration and Remittances to his credit.
Michael is currently an Advisory Board member of the Bangladesh Youth Parliament, and was also a contributor and editorial member of the young people version of the UN Human Development Report for 2006 and 2007.
His desire to see to the well being of the youth in the world, which has been given a major boost by the introduction of the Millennium Development Goals, continues to spur him on to greater heights as he renders unconditional services to humanity aimed at making the world a better place for all.
After successfully completing an E-course in Project Management and Grant/Proposal Writing, his organizational abilities have been enhanced. In his own words, ‘I have been able to organize a series of programs on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and the Millennium Development Goals, thanks to the knowledge I acquired from the course’. He has his eyes on being a Migration Expert.
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Comments
Great Work DAKE KOFI SELORM | Jan 13th, 2008
This is a good piece of writing.
I like the use of facts and figures to make the article authentic and convinving.
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