Need for governance

National migration policies have so far failed. The stories collected in this book and many others happening every day show the complete inadequacy of what is a unilateral, temporary and often repressive approach to mobility. Thousands of men, women and children are continuing to die on the borders, with just as many suffering violence if they do manage to get across. How sustainable is the current migration system in the long term? What is the international community doing about it? How can we manage migration realistically, giving people both dignity and safety?

The migration question has certainly not been resolved by militarising borders further or by reducing visas and permits to stay. Movements of people are increasing in frequency and happening within a highly developed network of social and economic relationships. A global phenomenon like contemporary migration cannot be left to the decisions and solutions of individual states, let alone the political agenda of parties. In a recent study, the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a research institute based in Washington in the US, highlighted the limits of current policies, and put forward a series of proposals, the crucial point being to develop effective cooperation through regional agreements within the scope of multilateral relationships between industrialised countries and developing countries. However, the greatest problem remains the attitude of governments, particularly those of the richest and most influential countries, faced with the possibility of the global governance of migration and therefore the transfer of power over their borders and the conditions under which migrants stay on their territory. This is a paradox, as governments see this coordination as necessary, but at the same time as unattainable. And some countries of origin also seem to be rejecting common, binding rules because they are afraid of the impact on remittances from migrants, which is a prime source of wealth for their economy. There is no doubt that the first step towards effective cooperation is to adopt and apply clear, shared regulations, although the principles laid down by existing international conventions concerning economic migration have not met with systematic support from states through ratification and national laws or support within society through popular consent. And yet, there is no other way of providing protection and rights for migrants in a uniform way on a global level than to combine principles and supranational reference regulations with building up consent in individual countries.