FORUM ON MIGRATION, TRADE AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

14 December 2017 in Buenos Aires. FORUM ON MIGRATION, TRADE AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. ICTSD’s upcoming Forum on Migration, Trade and the Global Economy will be held on , in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration and Fundación Foro del Sur.

The Forum on Migration, Trade & the Global Economy offered an innovative platform to stimulate a greater understanding of the intersection between migration and international trade. It was an academic, high-profile and inclusive opportunity to facilitate constructive dialogue based on the identification of the latest research across disciplines, exploration of institutional experiences and networking among various epistemic and policy communities. 

The inaugural Forum on Migration, Trade and the Global Economy is being sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL). It will be a one-day event organised in the form of several high-level plenary sessions in the morning, followed by parallel sessions in the afternoon.

The following themes were addressed during the Forum:
Migration, labour policy and good governance

• The effect of international migration on labour market outcomes (employment and wages)
• The need for migrant-inclusive urban governance

Migration and the innovation economy

• Migration and the transfer of knowledge and technology across borders
• Linkages between migration and the digital economy, services and technology

Migration and regional integration

• Migration and the scope of regional integration into value chains
• Migration and the role of small and medium enterprises in Latin America and beyond

Migration and the contribution of diaspora communities

• Remittances as a source of revenue and foreign currency
• The need to strengthen diaspora networks and increase their engagement with countries of origin

Migration and a new vision for development

• Migration and its implications for international development
• UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030 with a focus on the migration-trade nexus

Extracts of the programme

• The contribution of diaspora networks in promoting trade and investment Onyekachi Wambu, Director, Engagement and Policy, The African Foundation for Development (AFFORD UK)
• Trade-related capacity-building to encourage entrepreneurship and businesses at the local level David Luke, Coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
• Potential role of trade and entrepreneurship/vocational training in addressing migration issues Marion Jansen, Chief Economist, International Trade Centre (ITC)