A Global Perspective on Migration
On October 25, 2016, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) organized a migration seminar where last year's refugee “crisis” in Europe was put in a global context.
In 2015, we saw the world’s worst refugee crisis since World War II, when large numbers of people fled conflicts and oppression. Many of the refugees came to Europe, resulting in a crisis as its countries struggled to cope with the influx, and created division in the EU over how best to deal with resettling people.
What is often forgotten in the media reporting however is that most people flee to neighboring countries or become internally displaced persons. From a global migration perspective, the war in Syria for example is one of several serious conflicts resulting in a large number of refugees.
How can we understand last year's increase of refugees to Europe from a global perspective? What root causes to migration can be seen? From a global perspective, what are the patterns and migration flows?
Marie-Laurence Flahaux, Researcher at the International Migration Institute of the University of Oxford (IMI, UK) and at the Institut de recherche pour le Développement (IRD, France). Marie-Laurence is a demographer. Her research focuses on the patterns and drivers of migration, in particular within Africa and between Africa and Europe.
Lisa Van Hogerlinden, Senior External Relations Associate at UNHCR’s Regional Representation for Northern Europe.
Kristof Tamas, Director and Head of Secretariat at the Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi) in Stockholm. Delmi is an independent committee that initiates studies and supplies research results as a basis for future migration policy decisions and to contribute to public debate.
The discussion is moderated by Elin Jakobsson, PhD student with a focus on migration at Stockholm University.
This seminar was enabled by the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida.