The UN Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 will discuss the pressure of population growth, the increase in the numbers of refugees, and labor migration between developing and developed countries. Population movement has been estimated as 1/50 in the world, regardless of reason. The impact of movement can be to augment a declining work force or to strain resources in poor countries, such as Zaire or Thailand. Rich countries may also respond with resentment and political turmoil, as is currently occurring in Germany. The tendency is to respond after the fact. Rwanda could be used as an example of a country with population pressure on land resources, which has exacerbated ethnic conflict. If the world in 1994 shows this pattern, the concern is that the future prospects are likely to reflect even greater turmoil and migration. The number of refugees has already increased from 2.5 million in 1970 to 20 million today. The head of the UN Commission on Refugees views the end of the Cold War as responsible for exposed and heightened ethnic and tribal rivalry. Migration movement is viewed as the desire for an improvement in quality of life. Significant shifts are to developed countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The 1994 UN Plan of Action offers concrete recommendations about mass movements. Recommendations are made to assure host country's assurances of protection in work and safety for migrants, removal of restrictive banking practices that impede monetary transfers between countries, and arrangements for temporary migration. Host countries are urged to provide assistance for return migration. Rights and equal treatment with nationals should be extended to longterm migrants. Each country has a right to enact migration restrictions. Smuggling of immigrants should be stopped through international cooperation. Countries of origin have a responsibility to readmit nationals rejected by other countries. There are few recommendations for dealing with migration related to fear for one's life. Many countries are not open to offers of political asylum, when there are so many seekers and there is misuse of asylum procedures. Refugee solutions should reflect the underlying conditions of war and famine.

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refugee population social policy demography Migrants Population Dynamics Refugees Political Factors war policy United Nations international cooperation organization International Agencies labor migration Population Control Unhcr Un World Population Conferences Article migration Demographic Factors politics Critique Emigration and Immigration Evaluation Studies Transients and Migrants Organizations public policy Population Policy immigrants