migrationonline.cz
Interviewed by Tereza Rejšková
13 January 2011

Paving the road for international discussions on migration – Global Forum on Migration and Development. An interview with Stefan Rother

What was the original impetus for starting an event such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD)?

Migration had been almost completely absent from the international agenda - if it was discussed at all, then predominantly under the aspect of security. This securitization of the issue further increased as a result of the attack on September 11. But in the last years, a more positive framing of migration gained prominence: A potential nexus between migration and development. Especially the rise in remittances sent home by migrants was propagated as a contribution to development by institutions like the World Bank. While I have many reservations regarding this “new development mantra”[1], it certainly paved the road for international discussions on migration.

But when in 2006 the first UN High-Level Dialogue on Migration on Development was held in New York, there were major disagreements on (...)

Full interview can be accessed here:
http://www.migrationonline.cz/e-library/?x=2272980