The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises that migration is a powerful driver of sustainable development, for migrants and their communities. It brings considerable benefits in the form of skills, labour force development, investment and cultural diversity, and contributes to improving the lives of communities in their countries of origin through the transfer of skills and financial resources.
The benefits of migration should not be seen only in terms of what migrants can bring to a given territory. The link between migration and development is much more complex: the political, social and economic processes of potential destination countries also determine how, where and when migration occurs. If poorly managed, migration can also have a negative impact on development.
As the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration points out, “Migration is a multidimensional reality that cannot be addressed by any single government policy area”. It will require the participation of migrants, migrant associations, organisations and movements in improving the living conditions of migrants and their full participation in the life of their host country and their country of origin
But when it comes to SDG 12 on sustainable production and consumption, which aims to do more and better with less, what should migrants’ contribution be? In this memo, we propose 5 concrete ideas that civil society organisations and migrants can try in their daily work.
Idea 1: Ensure that all people everywhere, and specifically migrants, have the information and knowledge necessary for sustainable development and a lifestyle in harmony with nature. To do this, migrant host organisations, migrant associations should organise informal or formal awareness raising, education sessions for new and existing migrants. Organise community clean-up campaigns, raise awareness on food waste. All this will allow migrants to adopt sustainable consumption patterns in their new environment, but also to share their strategies from their country of origin and adapt them to the needs of their new environment.
Idea 2: Promoting sustainable consumption patterns can help protect migrant workers from exploitation.
Idea 3: Encourage companies, associations, organisations and the migrant community to set an example by becoming responsible consumers in their own territories. They can for example develop responsible consumption and economy. Incentives for all forms of collective organisation of local businesses to promote their social responsibility and responsible consumption (local labels, joint advisory and monitoring services, information for citizens, etc.).
Idea 4: Make responsible consumption a vector for job creation and synergies between migrants. For example, migrants can develop short producer-consumer circuits by asking municipalities to make cultivable space available. They can support exchange and recycling spaces for second-hand services and products and unused skills, such as local exchange systems. Finally, encourage forms of collective savings reinvested according to ethical criteria in the creation of economic activities and jobs at local level.
Idea 5: Facilitate access to responsible consumption for the most vulnerable migrants and solidarity with them. Migrant organisations or associations can create solidarity grocery shops with subsidised jobs and premises made available to help migrant households living below the poverty line to consume. Organise among migrants by creating local solidarity funds that promote access to responsible consumption for migrants. Develop social micro-credit for excluded migrants (migrants living with a disability)
By Sèmèvo ZODO & Idoxine AHOUMENOU