The Migration Crisis and the Global Migration Management System in the Event of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of the paper is to present the conditions and effects of the
global migration crisis, which appeared in connection with the health crisis caused by the COVID19 pandemic. It also undertakes a preliminary analysis of the possibilities of mitigating its effects
within the global migration management system.
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research problem focuses on the impact of
the health crisis on migration processes, especially in the context of tightening national immigration regimes and securitization. It also takes into account the potential of a migration management
system to restore the global benefits of safe migrant mobility. The article is based on the political
science analysis of the content of the reports and a review of the latest scientific literature.
THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The starting point of the argumentation is to emphasize the importance of the greatest decline in human mobility in modern times for the outbreak of a migration crisis. It was pointed out that the long-term closure of borders may lead to the risk off failure of the entire migration system. The provisions of the 2018 Global Compact for Migration agreement were indicated as a corrective instrument.
RESEARCH RESULTS: The analysis leads to the conclusion that more than perhaps any crisis in
the past COVID-19 clearly demonstrates the need to include migrants in crisis management and to
find long-term solutions to a new type of migration problem when the acute phase of the crisis is over.
CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Due to the fact of important role
of migrants in the economic, social and cultural fabric of the globalized world, it seems necessary
to deepen initial reflections on the migration management system in the context of a health crisis.
References
Amnesty International (2020). Public statement. Refugees and migrants forgotten in COVID-19 crisis response. 14.05. ACT30/2319/2020.
Buzan, B., Waever, O. i de Wilde, J. (1998). Security. A new framework for analysis. Boulder, CO & London: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Byaruhanga, R. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on securitisation of migration and mobility in the United States. European Journal of Social Sciences Studies, 5(6), 95-109 DOI: 10.46827/ ejsss.v5i6.939
Chamie, J. (2020). International migration amid a world in crisis. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 8(3), 230-245.
Ferhani, A. i Rushton S. (2020). The international health regulations, COVID-19, and bordering practices: Who gets in, what gets out, and who gets rescued? Contemporary Security Policy, 41(3), 458-477. https://doi.org/10.1080/13523260.2020.1771955
Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (2018). Resolution A/RES/73/195. General Assembly of the United Nations. 19 December 2018. https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/ view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/73/195
Guadagno, L. (2020). Migrants and the COVID-19 pandemic: An initial analysis. Geneva: International Organization for Migration.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2020a). Global Mobility Restriction Overview. 23 July 2020. https://migration.iom.int/system/tdf/reports/DTM-Covid19%20Global%20Overview%20 Output%2023.07.2020%20Final.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=9271
International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2020b). World Migration Report 2020. IOM Online Bookstore. https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/wmr_2020_en_ch_2.pdf
International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2020c). COVID19 Analytical Snapshot #33: Combating xenophobia and racism. Geneva. www.iom.int/migration-research/covid-19-analytical-snapshot International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2021). COVID-19 and the State of Global Mobility in 2020. Migration Policy Institute. Benton M. et al. April 2021. https://publications.iom.int/system/ files/pdf/covid-19-and-the-state-of-global.pdf
McAuliffe, M. (2020). An initial analysis of COVID-19 impacts through the prism of securitization. Migration Research Series. No. 64. Geneva: International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Majidi, N. i Nozarian, N. (2019). Measuring sustainable reintegration. Migration Policy Practice, 9(1), 30-39.
Newland, K. (2020). Will international migration governance survive the COVID-19 pandemic? Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute (MPI).
Ponta, A. (2020). Human rights law in the time of the coronavirus. ASIL Insights, 24(5). www.asil. org/insights/volume/24/issue/5/human-rights-law-time-coronavirus
Reidy, E. (2020). The COVID-19 excuse? How migration policies are hardening around the globe. The New Humanitarian. 17 April. www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2020/04/17/ coronavirus-global-migration-policies-exploited
Yayboke, E. (2020). Five ways COVID-19 is changing global migration. Centre for Strategic & International Studies. https://www.csis.org/analysis/five-ways-covid-19-changing-global-migration
World Bank (2020). World Bank Predicts Sharpest Decline of Remittances in Recent History Press Release. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2020/04/22/ world-bank-predicts-sharpest-decline-of-remittances-in-recent-history.
World Bank (2021). Defying Predictions, Remittance Flows Remain Strong During COVID-19 Crisis. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/05/12/ defying-predictions-remittance-flows-remain-strong-during-covid-19-crisis
World Health Organization (WHO) (2020). WHO Director-General’s statement on IHR Emergency Committee on Novel Coronavirus. www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-statement-on-ihr-emergency-committee-on-novelcoronavirus-(2019-ncov)
Copyright (c) 2021 HORIZONS OF EDUCATION
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain the copyright to their work while granting the journal the right of first publication. The work will be simultaneously licensed under a CC BY-ND license, which permits others to share the work with proper credit given to the author and the original publication in this journal.
- Authors may enter into additional, non-exclusive agreements for the distribution of the published version of the work (e.g., posting it in an institutional repository or publishing it in another journal), provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.
We allow and encourage authors to share their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on personal websites) both before and during the submission process, as this can foster beneficial exchanges and lead to earlier and increased citations of the published work. (See The Effect of Open Access). We recommend using any of the following academic networking platforms:
