Mainstreaming migration into planning at the sectoral level

Mainstreaming migration into planning at the sectoral level
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Mainstreaming migration and development issues into national development planning is strategic for Jamaica as it aligns the national priority in the country’s first long-term development planning framework Vision 2030 Jamaica — National Development Plan. The Plan seeks to enable the maximization of the benefits of migration while minimizing the negative impacts.

The migration and development nexus is undergirded by the premise that migration has the potential to increase human capabilities, enlarge the scope of human choices, and create safe and secure environments for citizens and migrants. Mainstreaming migration at the sectoral level is set within the context of the National Policy of International Migration and Development. The overall objective of the National Policy and Plan of Action is to contribute to socio-economic development by integrating international migration into development planning at the national and sectoral levels. The Policy seeks to forge a common understanding of the migration and development nexus through nine thematic areas:

  • Governance and Policy Coherence
  • Human Rights and Social Protection
  • Diaspora and Development
  • Labour Mobility and Development
  • Remittance and Development
  • Return, Integration and Reintegration
  • Public Order, Safety and Security
  • Family Migration and Development
  • Data, Research and Information Systems

Mainstreaming at the national and sectoral levels is facilitated through a whole-of –government approach. A new mechanism – National Working Group on International Migration and Development (NWGIMD) – was established in 2011. The NWGIMD is an interagency body with representatives from MDAs, Civil society, NGOs, academia and IDPs to facilitate greater institutional and policy coherence in migration and development initiatives. The Planning Institute of Jamaica as the government’s focal point on M&D and ensures the mainstreaming M&D is prominent in the national and sectoral agenda.

To further facilitate mainstreaming at the sectoral level, outputs and outcomes specifically relate to migration and development are included in the Government of Jamaica’s Medium Term Socio-Economic Policy Framework. The mainstreaming process has contributed to a number of positive impacts which underscore the potential of migration to contribute to development. The institutionalization of migration and development at the sector level is aimed at the implementation of specific outputs and activities within the National Policy on IMD and aligned to Vision 2030 Jamaica. To date, a number of activities and outputs have been articulated and executed in support of the mainstreaming migration across several agencies of the government of Jamaica. The examples outlined below are among some of the actions undertaken to integrate migration considerations at all stages of Jamaica’s development planning 

  • Health (Establishment of a Think Tank and Advisory Board on Diaspora Affairs and Medical Missions within the Ministry of Health
  • Diaspora Engagement (Enactment of the Charitable Organizations (Tax Harmonization) (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2013. This Act is aimed at the management of both cash and social remittances for development purposes
  • Establishment of Liaison Officers in destinations in which the government has existing circular migration programmes (USA and Canada) to provide support services to migrant workers. These services include:
    • Annual and bi-annual orientation programmes which provides information to facilitate resettlement in countries of transit and destination
    • Deployment of Liaison officers conduct sites visits to employment sites
  • Education ( Establishment of two (2) Diaspora Liaison Officers at Ministry of Education to facilitate clearance of education materials at ports of entry
  • Training of professionals (teachers, medical doctors, nurses) for outsourcing
  • Overseas work/study programmes facilitated by the Ministry of Education (MOE)
  • Human Employment and Resource Training Trust National Training Agency (HEART Trust /NTA) training for low skilled migratory workers (chefs, hotel workers, domestic workers etc.)
  • Gender - The GoJ has also sought to mainstream gender in development planning through the 20

    establishment of Gender Focal Points (GFPs) in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Gender Focal Points will act as responsibility centres in order to improve organizational effectiveness and capacity within the public sector.
  • Financial – Provision of counterpart funding for the implementation of the Global Joint Programme on Mainstreaming Migration into National Development Strategies
  • Social Welfare and Vulnerable Groups - Implementation of the following mechanisms geared at improving labour standards for women migrant workers:
    • Welfare and support services offered through the Liaison Services in the USA and Canada under the ambit of the Temporary Overseas Employment Programmes
    • Establishment of the Family Services Unit within the Ministry of Labour and Social Security which provides support to family left behind to provide support services and reassurance to dependents
  • Training programmes facilitated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade for members of the Diplomatic Corp in Jamaica to ensure that within households, with regard to their treatment of their domestic workers and caregivers, they abide by the wage regulations in countries’ of destination to protect against domestic servitude and peonage.
  • National Security -Establishment of the National Taskforce Against Trafficking in Persons in 2005 to strengthen legislative, institutional and operational capacity to combat trafficking in persons. Its core emphases have been the prevention and suppression of trafficking in persons, the prosecution of offenders and the protection and provision of assistance to victims of trafficking.
  • Enactment of The Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) (Amendment) Act, 2013.
  • Faciliation of islandwide public education campaigns addressing human rights, trafficking in persons through the use of print and electronic medias
  • Data and Information Systems -The Statistical Institute of Jamaica is in the progress of developing a national migration database to effectively monitor and manage migration related information for national planning
  • Trade- Major manufacturers such as Grace Kennedy Company Limited, LASCO Manufacturing Limited and Juici Patties embark on nostalgic trade ensuring Jamaican products are accessible to members of the Diaspora.

    “Migration is a central component of current population dynamics and is a key enabler for development at the global level”. Mainstreaming Migration at the sector level will prove critical as efforts are made to include migration in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This inclusion recognizes the impact of migration not only on countries of origin, transit and destination but the well-being of migrants. Elaborating migration within this new global development framework provides the basis for greater recognition of its impact at the sector specific level and even more far reaching impact at the individual level.
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For more information:

GFMD Source:

GFMD 2014-2015 - Roundtable 2.1 "Mainstreaming migration into planning at the sectoral level"

Partner(s):

National Government of Jamaica

International Development Partners including IOM and UNDP