PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRANSCODE WORKSHOP IN THE PHILIPPINES

Transcription

1 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRANSCODE WORKSHOP IN THE PHILIPPINES Scalabrini Migration Center 30 June 2010

2 CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 Day 1, June 7, 2010 Opening Ceremony 2 Migration and Development: Theoretical Perspectives 4 The Policy Framework in the Netherlands 8 The Policy Framework in the Philippines 10 Workshop 1: Moving Forward: Building on Strengths and Minding Critical Gaps 13 Day 2, June 8, 2010 Good Practices on Migration and Development (M&D) in the Philippines 16 Government-Driven Initiatives 19 NGO-Driven Initiatives 22 Private Sector-Driven Initiatives 25 Study Visits: Development Action Network for Women and Development 27 Commission on Filipino Overseas 28 Day 3, June 9, 2010 Study Visits: Atikha-SPC Women Family and Overseas Filipino Center 31 Gawad Kalinga-Calamba (Dr. Jose Rizal Village GK Village) 32 Day 4, June 10, 2010 Discussion of M&D Good Practices in the Netherlands 34 Local Government- Driven Initiatives 35 Overview of NGO-Driven Initiatives 37 Academe-Driven Initiatives 41 In Support of M&D Projects: The Role of Funding Agencies 42 Workshop 2: Moving Forward: Exploring Convergence 44 Day 5, June 11, 2010 Lessons from Other Continents: Selected M&D Programs in Africa 47 Lessons from Other Continents: Latin America and Asia 51 Lessons from Other Continents: Asia and Middle East 55 Workshop 3: Moving Forward: Exploring Convergence 58 Day 6, June 12, 2010 Workshop 4: Cooperation in M&D Projects: The Role of National and Local 63 Governments, Civil Society Groups (Academe and NGOs), Private Sector, Funding Agencies Plenary group Presentations and Discussions 64 Documenter s Report 66 Discussion 66 Concluding Session 67 Annexes A. Participants 70 B. Program 74 C. Working Groups in Workshop Sessions D. Working Groups for Workshop Session

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A six-day live-in workshop on Transnational Synergy for Cooperation and Development (TRANSCODE) was convened at Hotel Dominique in Tagaytay City last June 7-12, 2010 attended by delegates from the Philippines and the Netherlands. With the funding support of Porticus and Cordaid, TRANSCODE is an initiative coordinated and carried out by the Scalabrini Migration Center or SMC (based in the Philippines) and Radboud University Nijmegen or RU and Stichting Mondial Samenleving or SMS (based in the Netherlands). TRANSCODE aims to provide a forum to discuss the migration-development nexus in the Philippines and the Netherlands from a multi-stakeholders perspective; engage the different stakeholders (policy makers, academic institutions, migrants/ngo leaders, representatives of the private sector and foundations in the Netherlands and the Philippines) in realizing and unleashing the development potentials of migration; and develop a framework of cooperation and co-responsibility in migration and development (M&D) policies and programs. The workshop in the Philippines, which was organized by SMC, was the first of two TRANSCODE workshops; a second one, to be organized by SMS and RU, will be held in the Netherlands in October The workshop had 35 participants (including organizers) from the Philippines and the Netherlands. The Philippine delegation was composed of representatives from national and local governments, NGOs and the private sector. Officers from migrant associations, academia and funding agencies constituted the Netherlands delegation. The six-day program included presentations from resource persons, study site visits and workshop sessions. The workshop provides the delegates opportunities to share their respective experiences on M&D initiatives as well as learn from the others. The presentations from both the Philippines and Netherlands delegates showed the various initiatives being pursued by their respective agencies/institutions on migration and development. The Philippine experience was complemented with study visits to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, a national agency involved with overseas Filipinos, and selected NGOs, including the Development Action for Women Network (which has programs for the reintegration of former entertainers to Japan and Filipino-Japanese children), Atikha (which engages with overseas Filipinos to support livelihood programs in the Philippines), and a Gawad Kalinga village (a shelter and community building program which is based on volunteerism and contributions from the local government, private sector and overseas Filipinos). The four workshop sessions provided delegates from the two countries the opportunity to interact and discuss certain issues on M&D. The first workshop tackled issues on the fundamental principles which should guide M&D and recommendations to enhance the engagement of stakeholders like national and local governments, migrants and their families, diaspora communities and NGOs, private sector and foundations, and the United Nations and international organizations. The second workshop session dealt with the delegates assessment of the critical gaps in M&D initiatives in the Philippines and the Netherlands, recommendations to address these gaps and the factors that hinder or foster the replicability of presented initiatives. The third workshop identified stakeholders in M&D who are less engaged in M&D initiatives, the reasons for their lack of involvement, their respective responsibilities and recommendations to enhance their engagement. The fourth workshop provided the opportunity for the delegates to identify several project ideas for future collaboration. The participants identified projects on livelihood and investments (focusing on food security and local development particularly farming, fisheries and livestock and use of innovative technologies); capability development and awareness (using multi-stakeholder approaches involving the next generation of migrants, and fostering South-South cooperation); and social development (involving twin/sister city arrangements, families of migrants left behind, youth and first generation migrants, transfer of technology and establishment of a migrant center). These project ideas serve as stepping-stones for future collaborations between the migrant associations based in the Netherlands and Philippine institutions. 3

4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRANSCODE WORKSHOP IN THE PHILIPPINES 1,2 JUNE 6, 2010: Arrival of participants at Hotel Dominique; registration, a brief orientation session and introduction of participants was conducted following dinner. DAY 1, JUNE 7, 2010 Opening Ceremony Welcome Remarks Dr. Fabio Baggio, Director of the Scalabrini Migration Center, welcomed the participants of the workshop. In his short talk, he shared that the idea for a workshop that will bring together stakeholders on migration and development (M&D) was conceived in a previous conference in Further discussions with Dr. Ton van Naerssen of Radboud University Nijmegen resulted in a proposal that was presented to and approved by Porticus and Cordaid. He stressed the importance of the different types of stakeholders present and expressed appreciation of their willingness to join the workshop which aims to further the understanding of migrationdevelopment nexus. He briefly oriented the participants of what to expect from the 6-day workshop. He mentioned that TRANSCODE which stands for Transnational Synergy and Cooperation and Development can serve as a slogan or idea to be shared in the next few years. He also mentioned that the contribution of researchers is essential in influencing policy makers and results are shared with the participants. He ended his talk by briefly mentioning the parts of the program and urged the participants to think of projects involving different partners/stakeholders or associations where migrants and migrant communities are the main actors. He also mentioned that the results of the project will be shared and disseminated. Finally, he thanked the delegates for their participation. Opening Address The Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Philippines, Robert Gerald Brinks, gave the opening address. In his speech, the ambassador congratulated the organizers for the workshop which coincides with the Philippine s Migrant Workers Day. He shared the endeavors of the Dutch government to bring about coherence in policies on migration and development. He mentioned that as far as policy coherence is concerned, the country still needs to travel a long way, despite significant initial strides, to claim that migration and development are ingrained in the migration policies of the countries of origin and the countries of destination. He said that migration and development are two integral parts of the Dutch foreign policy. He clarified that the Dutch migration and development activities focus mainly on 40 partner countries, which do not include the Philippines. As a result, few migrants reach mainland Holland compared to other migrant countries. According to the ambassador, traditionally, Dutch policy focused on human rights, peacekeeping and development cooperation. Migration has been added in recent years to the list of issues as demonstrated in 2008 when a policy document International Migration and Development, was presented to Parliament by both the then Minister for Development Cooperation and the then Undersecretary of Justice, responsible for Immigration and Integration. The six priority policies of the Dutch government include: 1- more attention to migration in the development dialogue and at the same time more attention for development in the migration dialogue which involve active contributions to discussions about at the international, European and national levels 1 The Scalabrini Migration Center acknowledges with many thanks the contributions of Dr. Alan Feranil in documenting the proceedings of the TRANSCODE Workshop in the Philippines. 2 The documentation is organized according to the schedule and order of activities as indicated in the program (see Annex 2). 4

5 like the exchanges during the annual GFMD, and campaigns to increase awareness in Dutch society to stimulate integration of migration in development policy; 2- institutional development in the field of migration management which aims at minimizing social evils and abuses and human trafficking; 3- promoting circular migration / (brain gain) to allow economically developed countries to fill temporary job openings, migrants to earn income and acquire skills, and home countries to welcome returning skilled individuals. The Netherlands idea for personal development plans presented in its pilot project for circular migration was cited as good practice; 4- strengthening the involvement of migrant organizations with the provision of capacity building programs to become equal partners in development cooperation; 5- strengthening the relationship between remittances and development by improving transparency in the Dutch market for those who wish to make remittances; and 6- promoting sustainable return and reintegration of migrants to safeguard the integrity and public support for the asylum policy. The ambassador further emphasized that developments in Dutch society make it necessary to find solutions for regulating migration. The government has started looking closer at the linkage between migration and development and has come up with a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening coherence. According to him, the Dutch government will continue to search for solutions in collaboration with representatives from civil society. He mentioned that participation in the workshop, trying to foster mutual understanding, is a valuable step on the way to coherence between migration and development policy. Message from the Netherlands Delegation Mr. Zeki Shehu, Director of Stichting Mondiale Samenleving (SMS), also known as Global Society Foundation, introduced the Netherlands delegation and gave a brief overview of the work of SMS. According to Mr. Shehu, SMS has a large network representing different nationalities across the globe and include migrants composed of refugees, ethnic and religious groups. SMS is an organized foundation represented by different people with the common goal of integrating migrants, most of whom have a refugee background, through the provision of programs that capacitate migrant associations since migrant association have to represent themselves. He also mentioned that SMS has influenced the Dutch policy on migration mentioned by the ambassador. He mentioned the different initiatives undertaken by SMS for the integration of refugees (like Albanians and Ethiopians in 2002), and the support they provide to migrants in their countries of origin. He mentioned the capability programs for migrant associations. He further mentioned that SMS focuses on six themes namely, migration and development, volunteer work, health and well being, nature and environment, European issues and culture. He also shared that SMS works on a project-based approach which may run from one to 3-5 years and involving migrant associations with the participation of European society or European networks. He ended his talk by citing the work of Pasali Netherlands where migrants were tapped to contribute to development initiatives. Workshop Objectives and Program Dr. Maruja Asis of the Scalabrini Migration Center presented the objectives of the TRANSCODE Project. The holding of the workshop served as a means to realize the project s general goals of building and nurturing transnational cooperation to enhance the development potentials of migration. The general objectives of the TRANSCODE Project are to: discuss the migrationdevelopment nexus in the Philippines and the Netherlands from a multi-stakeholders perspective; engage the different stakeholders (policy makers, academic institutions, migrants/ngo leaders, representatives of the private sector and foundations in the Netherlands and the Philippines) in realizing and unleashing the development potentials of migration; and develop a framework of cooperation and co-responsibility in migration and development policies and programs. Specifically, the objectives of the workshop would be to: 1-integrate the migration-development nexus in the policy frameworks of the Philippines and the Netherlands; 2-contribute to the shaping of transnational policies that enhance the development potentials of international 5

6 migration; 3-share good practices in the Philippines and the Netherlands and assess their replicability; 4-define the roles of the different stakeholders in the transnational synergy and cooperation for development; and 5-develop proposals that promote the development contributions of migration. The organizations behind TRANSCODE include the Scalabrini Migration Center, Stichting Mondiale Samenleving (SMS or Global Society Foundation) and Radboud University Nijmegen. She acknowledged and thanked Porticus and Cordaid, both based in the Netherlands, for supporting the project. The TRANSCODE Project is organized into three phases: Phase 1: Preparatory work (January- May 2010); Phase 2: Workshop in the Philippines (June 2010), and Phase 3: Workshop in the Netherlands (October 2010). Dr. Asis emphasized the multi-sectoral participation and transnational approach of the workshop by presenting the institutions invited to the workshop which include national and local government agencies, NGOs and the private sector from the Philippines, and the local government, NGOs, academe and funding agencies from the Netherlands. She thanked the participants for their interest in taking part in the TRANSCODE Project. She proceeded to outline the program of activities and the methodology in the conduct of the workshop. The six-day workshop will include presentations by resource persons and participants, study visits (June 8 and 9) and workshops. She noted that between the workshop in the Philippines and the Netherlands, there will be interim activities which include preparation and elaboration of concept papers and the drafting of proposals which will be presented in the Netherlands workshop. The ideas for possible projects will come from the discussions and interactions of the participants in the June workshop. The presentation of proposals to be submitted to funding agencies will be part of the activities in the October workshop in the Netherlands. The organizers, SMC in the Philippines and SMS and Radbou University in the Netherlands, will provide mentoring and support in the development of the project ideas into proposals. Migration and Development: Theoretical Perspectives Dr. Baggio started the afternoon session with a presentation of the theoretical perspectives of migration and development. In his introduction, he mentioned that in the past 60 years there have been three different positions on migration and development: developmentalist optimism, structuralist and neo-marxist pessimism and scepticism and nuanced views. He also mentioned that present-day enthusiasm on migration and development nexus should not be naïve. He cited different developments that influenced the landscape. These include: the influence of Kofi Annan and establishment of the Global Committee on International Migration (GCIM) aimed at a consistent, comprehensive and global response to the problem of international migration; a report in 2005 which stipulated that international migration should become an integral part of national, regional and global strategies for economic growth, in both the developing and developed world. ; the first UN High Level Dialogue on migration in 2006 which argued that the effects are only on developing countries; the Friends of the Forum proposal for the creation of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) to discuss M&D issues; and the holding of GFMD since 2007 (Belgium 2007, Philippines 2008, Greece 2009) and upcoming editions in Mexico in November 2010, Spain in 2011, and Morocco in

7 Although the discussions have not been binding, the discussions and the interest of global institutions such as the World Bank s reports on migrants remittances have drawn attention to M&D issues. Dr. Baggio noted that there are misunderstandings or misconceptions that continue to prevail like: the mythicization of remittances as a panacea to solve all the development problems of sending countries; labor export as development strategy adopted by many sending countries, unfair charge of development responsibilities to migrants and diaspora; terminological problem with the concept of development; the UN s definition of enhancing people s choices, and the need to go beyond individual-level understanding. Dr. Baggio shared some figures on international migration: there are 200 million international migrants or 3% of world population as of 2008; temporary migrants and diaspora has been given the main attention officially sent remittance totaled US$328 billion in 2008 India, China, Mexico, Philippines and Poland are major recipient of remittances In Tajikistan, Tonga, Moldova, Lesotho and Guyana, remittances have effects on the GDP. In many sending countries, remittances are larger than foreign aid According to him, there are several channels of cooperation to the development of home countries: Collective remittances (donations of different kind) Migrants investment (individual or group) Knowledge exchange (at different levels and of varying duration) International cooperation aid through diaspora (e.g., co-development funds), which has great potential, but it seems not to work for the main sending countries The positive transformations and costs of international migration were enumerated by Dr. Baggio. These cover the economic, social and political components in both the receiving and sending countries. At the economic level, the positive transformations for receiving countries include effective response to the economic challenges of demographic winter (active population and social welfare); migrants fill labor vacancies (low skilled and highly skilled) and decrease labor costs; migrants increase competitiveness because of their creativity, promptness and enthusiasm; migrants expands the markets for exports through their transnational networks; and migrant communities boost the development of some local sectors like housing, restaurants, travel agencies and internet points. For sending countries, the economic positive transformations are: labor export reduces unemployment and underemployment rates; remittances help fight inflation, pay foreign debt and circulation of money in local markets; in some cases, remittances have positive results on the poverty index; remittances benefit migrants household and in some cases are used for income generating investment; in some cases there are multiplier effects; and philanthropic donations and the infusion capital for the development of communities of origin. 7

8 The positive social transformations for receiving countries are: effective response to the social challenges of the demographic winter (population age and birth rate); migration (including international marriages) help to address gender balance problems in some societies; migrant communities help to overcome the ethic monolithism of some societies; transnational dynamics and second generations enrich traditional societies; migrants increase social mobility where opportunities are given; services are improved by employing overqualified migrants in some cases; migrants effectively respond to the challenges of the care of the children, elderly and sick in some societies; the co-existence of different cultures, languages and traditions constitute a unique opportunity for cultural exchange. The positive social transformations for sending countries include: decrease of social pressure; increase of social mobility (acquisition of skills and quality education for migrants children); less use of state run social assistance services by migrant families; female migration and new gender dynamics; and transnational families: new ways of relating. The positive transformations at the political level in receiving countries include: xenophobia and racism lead to reconsideration and reaffirmation of democratic ideals beyond citizenship; design and implementation of programs of integration and social inclusion also favor the local population; revision and innovation of educational programs; migrant workers help to revitalize traditional unions; and civil society groups concerned about migrants and dialogue with the government. For sending countries the positive transformations at the political level are: thanks to diaspora, sending countries as privileged interlocutors of sending countries; absentee voting as a new form of political participation and new programs implemented due to the political relevance of diasporas; political participation via internet (web sites, blogs, etc.); and some migrants and returnees became politicians back in their countries. Dr. Baggio also stressed the economic, social and political costs of migration in both sending and receiving countries. At the economic level, sending countries experience the following: ambivalent effects of remittances on migrant households: in some case no real net income, increased household inequality, few multiplying effects, increased disparity among provinces; labor export as development strategy increases dependence on remittances and on foreign economies; migrants households become increasingly dependent on remittances (including extended families); and the irregular practices of the migration industry and the economic costs of migration render migrants vulnerable and circular migration becomes a vicious circle. 8

9 At the social level, for the sending countries: initial studies have shown real effects on sending societies; vulnerability of transnational families in the case of temporary migration; effects on the children in the case of female migration and gender role changes; emotional effects on children left behind; who takes care of the elderly left behind; culture of migration and effects on national development; and impoverishment of human capital. At the political level, sending countries are faced with the following: some countries are prevented to design and implement local sustainable development policies; real difficulty to assist nationals working overseas; stiff competition among sending countries in marketing nationals jeopardizes the civil and labor rights of migrants; negative effects of the deployment of skilled migrants; educational policies shaped by global markets rather than local needs; and migrants loss of trust in their institutions. Dr. Baggio ended his talk with the following general observations: International migration s mixed results on development of the countries involved. While benefits are shared between countries of origin and destination, costs seem to be shouldered mainly by sending countries. Enhancing the benefits and reducing the costs: it may be a good strategy, but quite limited (functionalist understanding of the M&D nexus). Immigration and emigration policies seem to respond more to economic (and unilateral) concerns rather than to ethical and humanistic principles. Benefits produced with abuses, exploitation and discrimination of migrants are questionable. Receiving countries interests and sending countries interest do not coincide: effects on migration policies and regional dialogue. The receiving countries always dictate the rules of the game in international migration. There is a widespread inconsistency between the principle of non-discrimination (178 countries) and the actual migration policies and practices. He urged the participants to reflect on certain issues, such as the following: the principle of co-responsibility in the development of the human community applied to the M&D nexus; the principle of subsidiarity (respect of local communities and institutions) applied to the M&D nexus; the principle of democracy (inclusion of all the stakeholders) applied to the M&D nexus; and human development: centrality of the human being: individual, family and community in every policy making exercise. Open Forum The following issues were raised in the short open forum that followed: Importance of remittances, the importance of providing options to migrants so they have informed choices (e.g. investments, use of money) 9

10 the importance of small interventions or models at the local level which can complement development initiatives Political infrastructure may facilitate or hinder the process of development The Policy Framework in the Netherlands This was presented by Dr. Ton van Naerssen, Senior Researcher of Radboud University Nijmegen. His talk focused on the Dutch Policy Framework of transnational community organizations (TCOs) and development. The talk covered the following: migrants in the Netherlands, the integration issue, the development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and TCOs, migration and development. Dr. van Naersen presented the profile of the Netherlands as having 16.4 million inhabitants, with a land surface of 44,000 Km2, and GNP/capita of US$39,000, the tenth highest in the world. It is classified as a post-modern secular society. As of 2008, migrants from the colonies included migrants from colonies:450,000 Indies Dutch, 40,000 Moluccans ( ), 330,000 Surinamese ( ), guest workers and migrants resulting from chain migration (320,000 Turkish (1970-to date), 320,000 Moroccans (1970-to date); asylum seekers (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Ghana). He also shared that the new Dutch citizens 1.7 million foreign born (10% population), 3.2 million allochtones: born outside the Netherlands or one of the parents (regardless citizenship). There is some disparity between Autochtone and Allochtone. He said that TCOs tend to be general ( umbrella ) organizations and are organized by area of origin and hometown associations or they serve as a special purpose organization. Concerning the integration issue in Dutch society, he observed that there is transnational diversity resulting from a multicultural society which is at odds with the one Dutch national identity. Cultural diversity has raised questions on to how to cope with it and what are the limits to freedom of speech. He shared that in the Netherlands there is the New Right which is proud of the Netherlands movement and the Freedom Party that is against immigration, Islam and development cooperation. The challenge is the formation of a shared identity (both national and transnational) and how to develop new forces of social solidarity. He stated that transnational identities do not prevent nationally shared identities. The issue of development cooperation in the Netherlands is contested but compared to issues around migration and integration, it is not as hotly debated. The major features of development cooperation include the following human rights are an essential part of the Dutch Foreign Policy, MDGs are central in development policies, strengthening representation in multilateral platforms (EU, UN, NATO etc.), fast rounding off of WTO-negotiations and European Partnership Agreements (EPAs). There are other features which focus on specific set of countries, such as, extra funding for failed states (e.g., Afghanistan), increased budget for the European Foreigners Policy (due to more asylum seekers in the EU), and the Declaration of Paris between donor countries and partner countries of the South. There are different partnerships involved in development cooperation. These include the following: Schokland agreements (2007) regarding innovative forms of cooperation between governmental agencies, private business and civil society. New Framework (MFS II; ) for funding civil society alliances (CFOs = Co- Financing Organizations). According to Dr. van Naerssen, the country s stand on migration and development has been pursued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its 2008 Memorandum on Migration and 10

11 Development. The document mentions six policy priorities on migration and development program: These priorities include: 1. More attention for migration in development dialogues and the other way round; 2. Institutional development in the area of migration management; 3. Encouragement of circular migration/brain gain with an emphasis on labor migration; 4. Strengthening involvement of migrant organizations; 5. Strengthening of the linkage between migrant remittances and development; 6. Promotion of sustainable return (and re-integration). Involved in the dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diaspora are partners as diverse as the SEVA Network Foundation (development activities based on Hindu philosophy), the African Diaspora Policy Centre (bridging African diaspora and policy makers at EU level), the Global Society Foundation or SMS (capacity building of diaspora organizations), and the Diaspora for Development Network. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs engagements include regular consultations with TCOs, funding Radboud University s applied research in Migration and Development (2006), training program of some 25 TCOs (2009) and funding TCOs programs in the field of M&D. He also mentioned that the International Organization for migration (IOM) is engaged in return migration and facilitates visits of skilled migrants to provide assistance and knowledge transfer in the country of origin. Likewise, IntEnt supports returning migrants who are intending to start small businesses in their home countries. He mentioned that there are certain co-financing organizations supportive of M&D. These are Cordaid and Oxfam/Novib and Linkis, a joint initiative by the major Dutch co-financing agencies providing support for small development projects. (At least 30 per cent of the funds are allocated to migrant organizations). The Global Society Foundation or SMS has conducted a research on circular migration/brain gain (temporary return New Dutch citizens) and participates in return and re-integration program, set-up of a Knowledge Center and strengthening capacity of migrant organizations in development. According to Dr. van Naerssen, the experience gained so far proves that the success of all programs depends on the legitimacy of the diasporas to speak on behalf of the people at home and the capacity and reliability of the partner organizations in the countries of origin. Dutch M&D Framework: The Diaspora Landscape and Issues This was presented by Mr. Zeki Shehu. He described SMS, which was founded in 2002 by three refugee organizations Afghan, Albanian and Ethiopian platforms in the Netherlands. The mission of the organization is to promote active citizenship in the global society: promote integration and social economical participation of diasporas in the Dutch and European society; and promote and support diasporas engagement in reconstruction, poverty reduction and sustainable development of their countries and regions of origin. The target clientele of SMS include diasporas, their organizations and Southern partners. Also included are Dutch citizens; development cooperation agencies; academic institutions and their members; entrepreneurs and businesses; (local) governments and their institutions; and European and international (non)governmental organizations. The activities of SMS involve trainings: capacity building and empowerment of diasporas and their Southern partners; a helpdesk: supporting, coaching, and facilitating diasporas and their organizations; meetings and conferences: promoting cooperation en exchange of best practices among diaspora organizations and development cooperation agencies and research and development on diaspora and their organizations. Initial results of a mapping exercise of diaspora organizations in the Netherlands reveal that: there are about 1000 of diaspora organizations active in the Netherlands; some 95% are voluntary organizations; 11

12 (juridical status) association or foundation; these organizations have from 3 to 300 members; about 70% engage in integration & development cooperation initiatives; about 25% ad hoc active; In terms of annual budget, about 60% up to 10000; about 30% up to 25000; about 5% up to 50000; about 5% more than 50000; Since 2005 SMS has conducted mapping and profiling diaspora organizations they include fragile diaspora organizations, those with very active volunteers, those with semi professional staff and professional organizations. The mapping and profiling are helpful in capacity building and empowerment programs which SMS has been doing since The elements of the capacity building and empowerment program include organization strengthening (how to run an organization, be efficient and effective), institutional development (how to develop organization, relevance and legitimacy); knowledge advancement and improvement (information management, analytical capability and innovation). Mr. Shehu also shared that SMS conduct trainings that are implemented according to the needs of the clientele. Training I focuses on formulating mission, vision and objectives; writing project proposals; working with SMART and DRAM techniques; engaging the target group; fundraising and networking; project cycle management; organising activities; planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluating; reporting; and human resource management. Training II focuses on strategy and policy development; intercultural communication; web design and use of communication resources; financial and administrative management; introduction to development cooperation; migration and development; and others. Training III focuses on training the trainer programs; training of facilitators: and training diaspora members to facilitate workshops, meetings and conferences. He also talked briefly on the importance of the SMS helpdesk for diaspora organizations. According to Mr. Shehu, partnerships between diaspora organizations and development cooperation agencies involve disseminating information on diaspora organizations; lobbying development cooperation agencies; organizing information roundtables, and meetings and conferences, among others. Open Forum The open forum focused on the following points: There is a need to build structures to help migrants invest their money The bigger context of migration involved persons. There is a need to have a livelihood approach and infrastructure development while advocating for change Complementation of the different perspectives on migration Political infrastructure is important can hinder or facilitate the progress of M&D initiatives. There may good ideas but the political ambience may not be conducive. The Policy Framework in the Philippines There were two presentations from the Philippines to cover the country s policy framework. These are perspectives from the national and local governments. 12

13 National Framework Dr. Aldaba started his talk by focusing on the migration and development nexus and argued that migration and development constitute separate policy fields. Human mobility may be viewed as a problem to be solved and managed or as an intrinsic part and process of human development both at the individual and country levels. Migration affects development affect each other. The benefits of migration are now seen as important contributor to development. The estimated stock of overseas Filipinos has reached more than eight million people spanning over 220 countries. Remittances from abroad have ballooned in the last few years US$ billion in 2008; US$ billion in 2009 and US$ 4.34 billion in Q His presentation on migration and development governance focused on the migration policy of the country: an implicit labor export policy since the 1974 Labor Code - the careful selection of Filipino workers for the overseas labor market to protect the good name of the Philippines abroad there are government agencies mandated to facilitate overseas international migration; (notably, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) model of migration management and protection RA 8042 Magna Carta for Migrant Workers (1995) aims to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers and overseas Filipinos sending workers abroad not part of development strategy RA Amendatory Law on Magna Carta for Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos (2010) mandatory insurance He mentioned that migration is considered a development strategy, as indicated by the following: the employment facilitation and worker protection; OFWs were mentioned in six of the 24 chapters of the MTPDP: trade and investment, labor, responding to the basic needs of the poor, science and technology, culture, and responsive foreign policy of the country s development plan; plans included the need for policy and institutional coherence between and among government agencies involved in overseas migration or overseas employment; emphasized the protection of Filipino nationals abroad, recognized overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as an economic potential, primarily through engaging them in enterprises and as target markets for Philippine products; stressed a deliberate strategy for the reintegration of returning overseas workers; and highlighted the other potentials from migration as sources of new skills and technology and as cultural links between the Philippines and host countries. The country has exhibited low to moderate economic growth and has experienced boom and bust cycles over the years. However, despite moderate growth in recent years, poverty has not gone down. High underemployment is a manifestation of the proliferation of low quality jobs. There are very low investments due to the high cost of doing business and governance failure. According to him, the quality of economic growth can also be gauged through job generation and the quality of jobs generated. Unemployment rates have been relatively high in the last five years. Underemployment is highly correlated with poverty incidence and is an indicator of the quality of jobs available in the labor market. Hunger incidence has soared and there is a wide disparity between the urban and rural poor. The country s poverty incidence is among the highest after Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Thailand and Malaysia have almost nil poverty incidence. The rate of poverty reduction has been slower than other neighboring countries. 13

14 Dr. Aldaba stated that the country s predicament is due to several factors like: failure to manage population growth - large family size correlated to poverty and vulnerability; the country has a 2.1% growth rate; regular dose of shocks and exposure to risks - conflicts, economic crisis and natural disasters and environmental poverty; and high and persistent inequality land inequality and unequal access to quality education and health services. Dr. Aldaba stated that the country can maximize the diasporic dividend through: remittances as catalyst of sectoral growth (real estate, telecoms, tourism, banking, etc.); diaspora philanthropy; skills and technology transfers (brain gain); patriotic investments; networks for marketing the Philippines and local products (catalyst of trade and tourism); and demand for better governance. In his conclusion, he discussed the following points: full recognition of the impact of international migration on development and vice versa; acceptance that it is an important process in the road towards higher development (of a de-facto labor export policy); maximizing potential benefits and mitigate costs by integrating migration policy into its development strategy; and for the long term: strengthening the domestic economy and harnessing diasporic dividend is only part of this; avoidance of a Dutch Disease ; and making overseas migration as an option for Filipino workers Local Government Framework Dr. Eddie Dorotan started his talk by providing some background information about the Galing Pook Foundation. The organization promotes innovation and excellence in local governance through the recognition, reward and replication/policy advocacy of best practices. The criteria include results, people s participation, replicability /sustainability, and innovation. They have given the awards annually since 1993 of which 10 programs have already been awarded. He also mentioned that no local government has been awarded for its efforts on migration and development. Dr. Dorotan shared with the participants migration stories he personally knew about. These migration stories include a family of professionals based in the USA who is involved in several philanthropic activities; doctors and nurses who return for medical missions; seamen who have new houses but have broken families; illegally recruited laborers sent to Malaysia who sold their family assets to pay their placement fees; and women trafficking cases and abused domestic workers. He asked whether migration promotes or discourages local economic development; social equity or inequity; social cohesion or disintegration. He also asked the impact of migration on gender and women. According to Dr. Dorotan, local governments have been passive recipients of programs and projects from OFWs. They serve as active employment agencies or referral agencies; arbiters of social conflicts/displaced families; absorbers of health, education and social needs of migrants. He said that local governments have yet to consider or integrate migration-related programs in their strategic plans. 14

15 He urged local governments to address migration by creating jobs; developing the local economy and the necessary infrastructures; providing health, education and social services; institutionalizing migration programs; strengthening LGU-private sector-ngo partnerships; practicing good governance i.e., service oriented, transparent, accountable, not corrupt, participatory. Open Forum The following questions or comments came up in the open forum: Definition of the Dutch disease it a term used when there is too much reliance on natural resources that foreign exchange appreciates, which in turn is not favorable for exports. When exports suffer, the demand for manpower in the manufacturing sectors decreases. The term also applies to other situations such as the increase of remittances and relying on remittances. Patterns of spending and social inequality n the Philippines The exclusion of the Philippines from the list of countries mentioned by the Dutch ambassador as priority for M&D initiatives Sharing of information with local governments on governance and exploitative recruitment practices Some local government units (LGUs) are supportive of the government s illegal recruitment campaign Gender and development is one of the issues to be considered the dissolution of family units, the plight of the children left behind (even if there are surrogate relatives), and female predominance in the service or care sectors (caregivers, nurses and domestic workers) Those who migrate abroad are those who have access to resources. Those who are left are the poor ones. The need for local incentives to abate migration Migration is a definite or explicit government policy Hiring of skilled graduates by a local government to the civil service as a strategy to abate the brain drain LGUs should improve the quality of life of the people left behind so they will not leave. The government should create jobs in the Philippines and create the right the right environment so Filipino workers will stay. Migration of the poor is a survival strategy. Work in capacity building and awareness of the challenges of M&D A case study in Maribojoc, Bohol where the mayor matched the donations and came out with projects using information from overseas Filipinos and training given by overseas Filipinos LGUs want to be responsive to the predicament of OFWS but have no baseline information on OFWs that identify specific issues that LGUs can address. Workshop 1: Moving Forward: Building on Strengths and Minding the Gaps For the workshop sessions, the participants were divided into four groups and a secretary/rapporteur per group. Each group had to choose a moderator, who will manage the group discussion. Groups were given time to discuss the workshop discussions. The secretary/rapporteur presented the results of the group s discussion during the plenary. The expected outputs for Workshop 1 are: 1. Basic principles, which should inspire all the actions aiming at linking migration and development, are agreed upon; 15

16 2. Development potentials/outcomes and critical gaps of the migration-development nexus are clearly identified; 3. Feasible recommendations on how to enhance the development potentials/outcomes and mind the gaps, clarifying the roles of the different stakeholders, are elaborated. Each workshop group was to answer the following questions: 1. What fundamental principles should rule the M&D game? (first 3 with consensus) 2. To enhance the development potentials/ outcomes, what recommendations can be formulated addressing the following stakeholders (sending/receiving countries): There were four color coded workshop groups assigned (the participants assigned to particular groups are listed in Annex C). The red group tackled national and local governments; the blue group was assigned migrants and families, diaspora communities and NGOs; the yellow group worked on the private sector and foundations; and the green group was tasked to focus on the UN and international organizations. Group Presentations For the Blue Group, the principle of hoping for a better quality of life should rule M&D. The group said that both receiving and sending countries should have economic benefits, in terms of financial and knowledge networks, as well as better community awareness of the cultures of both the sending and receiving countries and this can be done by maintaining contacts with the homeland. They also mentioned that migrants should assert their rights in both the receiving and sending countries many are not aware of their rights and they are not organized and as such, they are vulnerable to various problems. The following fundamental principles were identified by the Green Group to rule M&D: Centrality of migrant workers in migration and development Human rights framework Primary responsibility of the government for internally driven development The group s recommendations are: Adherence to UN human rights instruments and the migrant workers convention by both receiving and sending countries Protection of women and children adherence and specific protocols Meaningful participation of migrants in the governance of migration The Yellow Group endorsed the following principles to rule M&D: Sustainability Mutuality Equal /core responsibility The group s recommendations to enhance development outcomes are: Opening new markets; new workforce (migrants) is needed since the West is aging Identifying gaps; get fully involved Migrant organizations should organize themselves, form alliances and synergize when asking for funds Migrant organizations should educate self and others on budget criteria and other requirements by the private sector 16

17 Creating and making visible a win-win situation Be more creative in the use of funds Save some money for long term sustainability Getting substantial support before you start (e.g., Taiwan and Philippines) Making added value visible so that the private sector consults migrant organizations; stakeholders should emphasize needs based approach in seeking or providing assistance rather than fund based or command and control-based. For the Red Group, the fundamental principles that should govern M&D should include: Respect for basic human rights Transforming brain drain to brain gain Adherence to conventions by sending and receiving countries The following recommendations were identified to enhance development outcomes: One stop shop /information center at the LGU level Provision of facilities and support to ensure the rights of their citizens Local government should provide opportunities to return migrants Receiving countries should encourage and stimulate savings by migrants Receiving countries should consider contributions to origin countries (e.g., sponsoring scholarship programs) Encouraging group investments 17