SIMN

SCALABRINI INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION NETWORK

 

Migration and Development Series Seminar on Migration and Ageing

UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) has organized a seminar on Migration and Aging. It was held at the United Nations Headquarter in New York on Monday, 1 October 2007. Fr. Ezio Marchetto represented SIMN at this seminar.

This seminar addressed various interlinkages and discussed emerging trends and policy responses from different world regions.

The objectives of this seminar are:

-Highlight the impact of global ageing on international migration patterns and the challenges arising for national social security systems.
-Raise awareness of the situation of elderly migrants as regards access to health care and pension benefits.
-Discuss policy options for improving access to, and the transferability of social security schemes, as part of a comprehensive approach to migration management.

The seminar revealed that, in the twentieth century, the world has witnessed a revolution in longevity. As a result, older people make up for an increasing share of the world’s population. It is estimated that, in the next 50 years, the number of older persons will nearly quadruple, growing from about 688 millions to 2 billion people. While the population in most developing countries continues to grow, some developed countries and countries in transition are experiencing a population decline, mainly due to low fertility rates.

In view of these trends, the international community has stepped up its efforts to address the socioeconomic challenges resulting form global ageing. In 2002, the United Nations Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The Plan puts ageing onto the development agenda and is the first international agreement that recognizes the potential of older people to contribute to the development of their societies.

Ageing poses a serious challenge to the social security systems in many countries, especially where increasing costs have to be borne by an ever smaller proportion of the active population. In some industrialized countries, this imbalance has led to a growing recognition of the need to further immigration to make up for a shrinking workforce. Indeed, ageing, the question of access to social security and migration patterns are interlinked in various ways: Migrants in developed countries, who have reached retirement age, often face problems accessing pensions and health care benefits. National social security systems are not designed to assure the transferability of those benefits across borders, if migrants decide to return home. In addition, retirees from developed countries are starting to migrate to regions where health care is more affordable.