Why is migration important for sustainable development?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises for the first time the contribution that migration can bring to sustainable development in all its dimensions. Migration is in fact a cross-cutting issue, relevant to all of the SDGs and most of their targets. Adequate migration governance and policies allow migration to attain its full potential and bring significant development benefits to both the country of origin and of destination. Migrants promote trade and investment; they bring innovation, skills and knowledge to their countries of origin and destination. Migrant workers fill both labour market gaps – stimulating the economies of the receiving countries, which in turn creates more jobs and generates more tax revenue – and demographic gaps in old societies. They remit a great amount to their home countries, allowing for education, healthcare, and small economic activities there. Migrants and local communities can be part of a great exchange of values, experiences and skills, increasing tolerance and cultural diversity. Empowering migrants to fulfil their own development potential is an aim set in the 2030 Agenda, in the 2016 New York Declaration and in the Global Compact for Migration.