The United Nations Development Programme's David Morrison IDRC Photos: tecklesphoto.com

Listen to a clip from the launch (2:23)

Listen to the entire launch (in English and French) (34:35)

The opinions expressed here reflect those of the speaker alone, and not necessarily those of the International Development Research Centre.

Nearly one billion people around the world — or one out of seven — are migrants. The flow of people occurs both within and across national borders — and has the potential to significantly improve human welfare, said David Morrison of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on October 5. Morrison was on hand for the North American launch of the 2009 Human Development Report, co-hosted by IDRC and the United Nations Association in Canada. IDRC Vice-President Corporate Strategy and Regional Management, Lauchlan T. Munro, moderated the panel.

Since 1990, the UNDP has highlighted key development challenges in its flagship annual report.  The 2009 edition focuses on migration, both within and beyond borders.  Migration can expand people's choices — in terms of incomes and access to services and opportunities — but underlying inequalities mean that these opportunities vary widely around the world. The report explores how a human development approach can help redress some of these inequities.

Manolo Abella, Senior research associate at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society at the University of Oxford

Manolo Abella, senior research associate at the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society at the University of Oxford, also spoke. He emphasized the development potential of remittances being sent home by migrants, which — at an estimated $US315 billion dollars annually — drastically outstrip development aid.

Watch a video exploring how countries measure up in the report (courtesy of CPAC) (advance to 12:50)

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