ILO International Labour Organization : , OECD Development Centre launch report on immigrants’ contribution to developing countries' economies

PARIS/GENEVA (ILO/OECD News) - The Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will host a joint conference and launch a new report on immigrants' contribution to developing countries' economies.

Both are the result of their four-year (2014-2018) joint project on Assessing the Economic Contribution of Labour Migration in Developing Countries as Countries of Destination conducted with financial support from the European Union. The project and the report cover ten partner countries: Argentina, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa and Thailand.

Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, the report examines empirically how immigrants affect key dimensions of the countries' economies including: the labour market in terms of labour force and human capital, economic growth and public finance. It provides analysis on the political and historical context of immigration in the ten counties and delivers recommendations on ways to enhance the contribution of immigration in different contexts through appropriate policy responses.

The launch event will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the main findings and policy recommendations of the project. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development acknowledges the positive contribution that migrants make to inclusive growth and sustainable development, and the international community currently discusses a global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration. In this context, the launch event will also serve as a platform to share knowledge and insights on relevant policies and practices to enhance the contribution of labour migration to host countries' development

This conference will convene high-level policy makers from the ten project partner countries as well as representatives from other countries, migration and development experts including academia, civil society and international organisations.

Speakers include:

• Masamichi Kono, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD
• Manuela Tomei, Director, Conditions of Work and Equality Department, ILO
• Laxman Prasad Mainali, Secretary, Ministry of Employment and Labour, Nepal
• Vivathana Thanghong, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Thailand

With a video Statement by Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for Migration

Access the event's full agenda: here .

Join the conversation on Twitter: @OECD_Centre @ILO with #DEVMigration

The report will be embargoed until Wednesday 24 January at 10:00 A.M Paris time. Requests for a copy of the report under embargo or for interviews should be directed to Bochra Kriout, ([e-mail] ; T: [phone]) at the OECD Development Centre and Hans von Rohland ([e-mail] ; T: +4122/799-7916) at the ILO.

Journalists requesting an electronic version in advance of the release agree to respect OECD embargo conditions.

Please note: The OECD's embargo rules prohibit any broadcast, news wire service or Internet transmission of text or information about this report before the stated release time. They also prohibit any communication of the contents of the report or any comment on its forecasts or conclusions to any outside party whatsoever before the stated release time. News organisations receiving OECD material under embargo have been informed that if they breach the OECD's embargo rules they will automatically be excluded from receiving embargoed information in the future.