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International migration is one of the central dimensions of globalisation. Facilitated by
improved transportation and communications and stimulated by large economic and social
inequalities in the world, people are increasingly moving across national borders in an
effort to improve their own and their family’s well-being. In the past few decades, international movements of people have increased alongside, though less strongly than, the
expanded international flows of goods and capital. International migration is an increasingly
worldwide phenomenon, involving a growing number of States as countries of origin,
destination or transit of migrants. The forces underlying these trends are unlikely to reverse
so that these international movements of people will continue—and most probably
increase—in the future. The increased mobility of people across national borders has affected not only the migrants themselves but also the lives and welfare of many peoples and societies, as well as the functioning of States and groups of States. As with increasing flows of goods and capital, it is necessary for Governments—and the international community—to decide how to address this facet of global development. The present publication examines the background and the nature of the increase in international migration and its wide-ranging impacts, and identifies the policy challenges posed by these developments.
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