Prioritizing Migration to Accelerate Latin American Development

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is urging countries worldwide to prioritize migration to transform the development model of the region. By boosting national statistical capacities for population and housing censuses, countries can generate the statistics and analysis they need to create better initiatives for migratory groups. 

“Inequalities within and between countries push many people to seek better opportunities for work and well-being in countries that are relatively more developed or have greater security, institutional stability and access to public goods and services. We must address the root causes of migration based on a development and human rights perspective,” says José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Executive Minister, ECLAC, during the Third International Forum on Migration Statistics.

The forum emphasized ten priorities for transforming Latin America and the Caribbean’s development model and lead to its productive transformation, these include employment and productivity, macroeconomics, reduction of inequalities, regional integration, social protection, education and skills development, gender equality, climate change and green growth and digital transformation. 

To strengthen the production, analysis and use of migration statistics, it is necessary to bolster national statistical capacities in population and housing censuses, household surveys and administrative records. In addition, innovative data sources offer a great opportunity to complement traditional migration data sources, according to ECLAC. “Migrant persons contribute to the well-being, prosperity and development of the region’s communities and countries, whether migrants add to the local labor supply or send remittances to their countries of origin, providing income to meet basic needs,” stated Salazar-Xirinachs. 

According to UN’s estimates, 281 million people were living outside their country of origin in 2020, representing 3.6% of the global population. This is the highest figure ever recorded versus the 173 million international migrants accounted for in 2000, representing 2.8% of the global population. 

In Mexico, remittances will be a crucial element for the economy, potentially allowing the country to weather an economic recession in the US, according to the Bank of America Securities (BofA).  Should remittances fall, the country could suffer, says BofA.