Comment: Equal dreams, equal opportunities
The migration of people—across land and sea, among countries and regions—is a centuries’ old phenomenon. But it has never polarized opinion more than it does today.
As the wretched trail of refugees continues across its borders, Europe has become dangerously close to disintegrating. Both governments and citizens are divided. On one side, outrage is fuelled by fear. On the other, humanitarian voices plead for benevolence and understanding.
In the midst of all the rhetoric are the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children seeking a better, safer life. Many, if not all, have survived a perilous journey to reach European shores. Torn from their roots, they have fled their homelands, not through choice but through dire necessity.
Those fortunate enough to be granted asylum are being relocated in one or other of the European Union’s 28 member states. There, they face the daunting challenge of integrating into a society and culture very different from their own. In the quest for dignity and independence, they have to find jobs, learn a new language, and almost certainly have to overcome prejudices and misconceptions. Such is the lot of a refugee.
Europe, however, is by no means unique in its crisis. Far from it. Palestinians have been living in exile for more than half a century. Africa and Asia, too, are old stamping grounds, both generating and hosting large numbers of displaced populations. Worldwide, it’s not just a handful of countries that are affected, but well over one hundred, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
So, while the European crisis is the one making the headlines, the issue itself is global, as well as deeply complex. For, intertwined with forced migration is the arguably even more emotive subject of economic migrants— the people who voluntarily leave their homelands in search of better opportunities elsewhere.
As an institution that has dedicated its fortieth anniversary to raising awareness of the plight of refugees, OFID welcomes the placing of migration and all its diverse issues in the international spotlight. OFID is especially concerned about the needs and rights of the world’s thirty million refugee children—the most innocent and voiceless victims of conflict and other emergencies. Their plight is highlighted in OFID’s Equal Dreams campaign, which launched this March.
For decades, OFID has reached out to the displaced and dispossessed—whether fleeing war, persecution or natural disaster—providing emergency assistance in the form of sustenance and shelter to ease the suffering of millions.
In Palestine, where displacement has prevailed over decades, OFID has a long history of working with agencies on the ground, not just to meet immediate needs but also to build local capacities and improve prospects for a long-term, sustainable future.
And, in post-conflict countries, like Rwanda and Bosnia, OFID continues to support reconstruction and resettlement programs to help governments rebuild and returning refugees to resume a normal life.
As necessary as all these actions are, however, they can only ever be responses to already present situations. Stepping in after the fact does not get to the root of the problem. And to ignore the underlying causes is to allow that problem to fester and perpetuate.
This is why it is so important to look beyond the current crisis and take in the bigger picture. To examine the multiple reasons—including underdevelopment, economic hardship, inequalities and climate change—why so many states are failing and forcing their citizens on the mercy of others.
A global dialogue on the subject is long overdue, not just to protect vulnerable and desperate people from expulsion and exploitation, but to efficiently manage all migration flows—including voluntary migration—for the benefit of all peoples and all societies.
And, above all, to safeguard the equality of every child’s dreams.
Contents
- Equal dreams, equal opportunities 2
Special feature: Migration and development: - A positive relationship? 4
Carpe diem:
Time for concerted action and a long-term perspective 10
Hands up for human rights 13
Equal dreams:
- The right of all children, everywhere 17
OFID in the Field 20
Providing a safe return for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s refugees 22
Rwanda: Breaking the stereotype 24
Building hope for Palestinian youth 26
Newsround
Cuban water minister praises OFID’s cooperation 28
OFID joins landmark transaction in Sri Lanka 29
Liberia resumes cooperation with OFID 30
A new dam for Lesotho 32
OFID gains space in the global conversation 33
OFID Diary 34
Meetings attended by OFID 35
154th Governing Board photo gallery 36
Loan and grant signature photo gallery 38
Perspectives
Healthcare and youth employment a priority for Palestine: Interview with Roberto Valent, Special Representative of the UNDP Administrator in Palestine 43
Conference Watch
Financing the 2030 global development agenda: Annual Coordination Group-DAC Dialogue on Development 45
Member States Focus
Indonesia Hospital saves lives in Gaza 48
Iran elects record number of women to parliament 49
Who needs happiness? UAE ranks 20 in World Happiness Report 50
OPEC
- Symposium on energy outlooks 51