The Concept of Mixed Migration: Reflecting on Today’s Migratory Policies, Movements and Paradigms Shifts

Geneva, 8-9 April 2010

- Conference Program [Pdf] -

A conference jointly organized by the Programme for the Study of Global Migration (Graduate Institute, Geneva) and the Institut d'Ethnologie (Université de Neuchâtel), with the support of the Division for International Protection Services of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
 

The conference was partly funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
 

Background
In today’s world of high mobility, the challenges of global migration are becoming ever more apparent. Since the late 1980s in particular, the perceived intensification, diversification and complexification of migration dynamics together with a decrease in economic growth have generated increasingly restrictive migration and asylum policies. As access to legal migration has been limited, increasing numbers of asylum seekers and migrants now turn to the same trafficking channels to evade control and claim asylum to enter Western countries. This new political context along with the complexity of migratory patterns has led governments to further restrict immigration and curb asylum claims. This raises particular challenges to refugee and human rights protection. Indeed, the priority given to controlling borders and irregular migration negatively impacts on governments’ willingness to take into account their international obligations in terms of refugee protection, including non-refoulement. On the same note, strict immigration policies, lack of financial resources and of knowledge of their rights may leave undocumented immigrants vulnerable to all forms of abuse and human rights violations, from economic to physical exploitation.

In this perspective, the concept of ‘mixed migration’ has recently been developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and adopted by a wide range of actors. The term refers to migratory movements – usually irregular ones – of people taking the same routes and same means of transport but travelling for ‘different reasons’ and having ‘different protection needs’. Academic research has also significantly participated in reflecting on the evolution of the international refugee regime, as well as the complexification and diversification of migratory routes. However, there remains much to be done with regard to the most recent developments and consequences of restrictive migration and asylum policies.

The general objectives of the conference was to:

1)    Review the historical and institutional context in which the notion of 'mixed migration' has emerged;

2)    Clarify the meaning and analyze the interpretations of some key terminology often used in migration related discourse such as ‘stranded migrant’ or 'people with other protection needs' etc;

3)    Analyze on the basis of case studies the extent to which migration and asylum policies are adequate to address new migratory movements and what impact they have on migration dynamics and on the lives of migrants and refugees. The aim will be to describe the sociological reality the notion of 'mixed migration' intends to describe: How have migratory movements actually evolved in different parts of the world and have they really increased everywhere? What are the various and interrelated causes for departure and the conditions of movements of people on the move? How do recent migration and asylum policies affect conditions of movement, while offering new possibilities to mobilize various legal categories?

4)    Analyse the relevance of current institutional responses. From a legal and policy perspective, debates still need to be held on whether and which tools are needed to ensure proper refugee and human rights protection in the current context, and how to better articulate different bodies of law and policies.

[Forthcoming bibliography]