With commercial production of oil slated for 2020, a regional representative of the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is anticipating a time when Guyana will have to deal with a spike in the influx of migrants and re-migrants.
IOM Regional Coordinator Robert Natiello
IOM Regional Coordinator Robert Natiello, speaking during the opening of a consultative session with Government officials on Monday, posited that those present may know someone who migrated in search of education or otherwise, but even now, Guyana was a destination country as foreigners come here to work.
“As yet, Guyana has not been seriously affected by the large movements of peoples. However, there is no country that has not, to some extent, been affected by human mobility and Guyana is no exception. Primarily, (this work is) in the mining and logging sectors in the interior.”
Guyana is projected to grow with the production of oil as economic opportunities increase with the development of infrastructure and accompanying services. Natiello noted that the country was “likely to become a magnet for immigrants and for returning Guyanese looking for new opportunities. There’s important evidence that Guyana is becoming a country of transit, as citizens from other countries enter Guyana and then begin an often perilous migration journey.”
According to Natiello, however, return migration comes with its own unique sets of challenges. He noted that in order to effectively manage migration, a combined approach from Government and civil society is needed.
“Migration constitutes one of the megatrends of the 21st century. It will continue to be one of the key factors of all economic and political scenarios worldwide throughout the remainder of the century. It’s important to know that in order to achieve its ambitious goals, the global compact has to be able to listen to, consider and respond to the interests, priorities and experiences of Governments and other stakeholders in different regions of the world.”
With the adoption of the New York declaration for refugees and migrants on September 19, 2016, member states of the United Nations agreed to embark on the road towards the development of two global compacts. The first one was on the protection of refugees and the second on the issue of safe, orderly migration.”
IOM is an inter-governmental organisation that works with UN Member States to ensure safe and orderly migration. The Organisation concentrates its work on four broad areas of migration management: migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration and forced migration.
Guyana has not only experienced migration of its skilled and unskilled workforce in the past, it has most recently experienced an influx of migrants and remigrants from Venezuela.
Venezuela, once an economic powerhouse in the Region driven by oil revenues, has had to deal with issues such as a downwardly spiralling economy and civil unrest. And despite the border controversy, there have been several instances where Guyana has either been called upon to render assistance or has offered such assistance.
There have been persistent reports of a shortage of basic services in Venezuela including health services as a result of the failing economy and unrest that has gripped the nation. Back in May of 2017, Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Reina Diaz had called on Guyana to support her government’s efforts to end this unrest.
