OSCE Chairman calls for improvements in integrating legal immigrants

PRAGUE, 23 May 2005 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, urged the Organization's 55 participating States on Monday to improve the position of legal immigrants and ensure they have an opportunity to become fully integrated into host societies.

Current immigration policies and regulations often failed to correspond to today's realities, he said at the opening of the Thirteenth OSCE Economic Forum, which is taking place in Prague from 23 to 27 May.

"The OSCE should help facilitate the exploration of improved legal means of entry for migrants and more effective integration into the political, social and educational structures of the host societies," he said. "The OSCE can help in the process of identifying good practices on migration systems and management."

This year's Economic Forum is entitled Demographic Trends, Migration and Integrating Persons belonging to National Minorities: Ensuring Security and Sustainable Development in the OSCE area.

"By promoting the implementation of existing mutual agreements, encouraging the development of bilateral and regional agreements, and by developing a common global strategy, we can boost the positive effects and reduce the negative consequences of migration," said the Chairman-in-Office.

"Any grand design to reinvigorate the OSCE regions should include a sensible plan on how best to tackle the challenging issues of demography, migration and integration of persons belonging to national minorities."

Rupel urged OSCE countries to develop new avenues of co-operation to make societies safer and more secure and national economies more resilient.

"The OSCE could facilitate the modernization of less developed participating States, taking into account traditional lifestyles and the cultural richness of individual regions," he added. "It also faces many challenges in the most developed OSCE participating States where existing social, healthcare and pensions systems need to be reformed."

The Prague Forum will discuss issues including population developments, the economic and environmental factors behind migration, both legal and illegal, and the economic integration of migrants.

The annual OSCE Economic Forum, organized by the Slovenian Chairmanship and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, serves as an important platform for dialogue between decision-makers and representatives from the participating States, experts from international governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as the business community and academics.