A/HRC/14/25
international migrants in the world in 2010, or about 3.1 per cent of the world’s population.
Almost half (47 per cent) are women, and 44 per cent are children under the age of 18.7
UNHCR estimates the number of refugees and asylum-seekers to be 16 million.8
16.
Today, some 60 per cent of the world’s migrants live in the developed world, yet
they do not always share the wealth of those societies and, in many cases, enjoyment of
their basic rights as citizens is highly problematic. Conversely, 80 per cent of all refugees
are hosted by countries of the South, which shows that a disproportionate burden is carried
by those least able to afford it.9 About 10–15 per cent of migration involves migration
under irregular conditions.10 For 2008, remittance flows were estimated at US$ 444 billion
worldwide, of which US$ 338 billion went to developing countries.11 The International
Labour Organization indicates that the US$ 250 billion of remittances effected in 2005
exceeds the sum of all official development assistance and foreign direct investment.12
Compounding this issue is the fact that developing countries lose around 10–30 per cent of
skilled workers and professionals through a constant “brain drain”,13 with the result that
their knowledge and skills are not available for economic development projects.
17.
Whatever the reasons behind these forced movements and migrations, new
challenges are faced, including how individuals (children and adults alone), families and
communities can realize their fundamental human rights, in particular the right to
protection, education and dignity, and how best to enhance the many dimensions and
opportunities inherent in diversity. Women, men, boys and girls of all ages and
backgrounds — whether migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons, returnees or
internally displaced persons — have the right to education, and particularly those forms of
education which are most likely to contribute to realizing individual capabilities, on the one
hand, and shared norms of respect and social justice, on the other. This report shows that
the international community too easily tolerates the many violations of this right.
18.
The Special Rapporteur is particularly concerned by the forced movement or
migration of populations over national borders. Such vulnerable population groups14 need
the full attention of the international community and should fall into the target group of the
objectives set by Education for All goals for 2015, in the realization of the national and
international education obligations.
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
6
UNHCR, “2008 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and
Stateless Persons”, Country Data Sheets (UNHCR, 2009), p. 2.
See UNHCR press release, 16 June 2009. Available from http://www.unhcr.org/print/
4a2fd52412d.html.
“2008 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless
Persons”, p. 2.
See International Labour Organization (ILO), “Facts on labour migration” (Geneva, 2006). Available
from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/
wcms_067570.pdf.
See Dilip Ratha, Sanket Mohapatra and Ani Silwal, “Migration and Remittance Trends 2009”,
Migration and Development Brief, No. 11 (November 2009). Available from
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1110315015165/Migration
AndDevelopmentBrief11.pdf.
See “Facts on labour migration”.
Ibid.
Of equal concern, but not reviewed in this report as they warrant separate and detailed consideration,
are internally displaced persons and children “left behind” by parents/guardians who have crossed
territorial boundaries.
GE.10-12879
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