Integrating Migration into the Post-2015 United Nations Development Agenda

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will expire at the end of 2015, by which point the Member States of the United Nations will have negotiated a set of sustainable development goals and subsidiary targets and indicators. These goals will frame a new international development agenda.

Although the MDGs did not contain any target setting on migration and development, it is anticipated that the United Nations development agenda (post-2015) will set clear targets and mobilize global action to improve the quality of the migration process. If so, substantial benefits could accrue to 232 million international migrants and their dependents in the form of more development to both their countries of origin and destination.

This Issue Brief, one in a series by MPI and the International Organization for Migration, looks at the case for migration and development, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, and how migration can be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda. It also highlights three areas that require specific attention: (1) fostering partnerships to promote development, (2) promoting and protecting migrants’ rights and well-being, and (3) reducing the costs and risks of human mobility.