ALFP e-magazine issue 6: Migration and Multicultural CoexistenceInternational Migration: Calling for a Holistic Approach
Zhang Yali (China)
Ph. D in Political Science, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York / ALFP 2011 Fellow

Human migration, a not new phenomenon, is steadily picking up speed under the deepening
globalization. The UN estimates that there were 272 million international migrants in 2019, anincrease of 51 million since 2010. In addition to Europe and North America, Northern and SubSaharan Africa and Western Asia saw rapid growth of migrant populations. Furthermore, forced
migration has grown much faster in recent years than voluntary migration, due to war, conflict andhuman rights abuse and violations, as we have seen in various parts of the world today, from Syria,
South Sudan, and Myanmar to Venezuela.1
Hosting a large number of immigrants challenges a country’s capacity for the provision of a whole
range of social services, from law and order to jobs, education and health services. In addition,
clashes of culture, values and lifestyle as well as religion create tensions between and among
different social groups, causing and catalyzing the differences in societies. The current pattern ofuneven distribution of international migrants, the large increase of forced migration and thediversity of immigrants combine to pose new challenges, more than ever, to individuals, societies,policy makers and world leaders.
Closing borders or building a wall will not stop the trend of migration. To address this pressing
issue, a holistic approach is needed, requiring coordinated action at the structural, national andsocietal level.
First and foremost, peace is the only way to stem the rise of forced displacement and to enable
orderly migration. From the civil war in Syria to communal conflict in Myanmar, war and conflictdevastate a country, destroy people’s lives and generate a large exodus of migrants in search for afuture. In a globalized world, no country can escape the impact of war and conflict, which is vividlyillustrated by the migration crisis in Europe. Therefore, at the structural level, prevention of conflict,engagement in dialogue for the resolution of conflict, respecting international order, andpromotion of international rules and regulations all contribute to reduce war and conflict, hence
minimizing the structural cause for irregular migration.
On the other hand, peace and economic development in origin countries could facilitate thevoluntary return of migrants. I observed, in the American town where I live, that Japanese mostly
emigrated to the United States in the 1980s, followed by Koreans in the 1990s and Chinese inrecent years. This pattern correlates with the economic development curve of these countries. The
better the origin country’s economy is, the more likely their nationals will choose to return after
1 See Population Facts issued by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, available

athttps://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/populationfacts/docs/Migrat
ionStock2019_PopFacts_2019-04.pdf.
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ALFP e-magazine issue 6: Migration and Multicultural Coexistence

temporary migration, which is the case of Chinese students in the United States today. Many more
Chinese students choose to return to China after their graduation now than twenty years ago.
Realizing the need for collective action, the world’s countries negotiated and adopted the Global
Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), an inter-governmental agreement under
the auspices of the UN, in 2018. GCM sets up 23 objectives, including ensuring migrant legal
identity, decent work and access to basic services as well as their full inclusion and integration insociety.2 While 164 countries signed the agreement at its adoption, demonstrating a strong politicalwill, the fact that the major immigrant recipient countries were reluctant to sign the agreement,
under the pressure of their domestic constituencies, exposes the deep-seated tension and division
within these societies over immigration.3

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) painted on the plaza in front of
the United Nations Headquarters, New York (Photo by the author)4

As the tensions between immigrant groups and host societies in Europe demonstrate, successful
immigration policy involves not only opening doors but also efforts to have immigrants truly
integrated in a society. Prejudice, discrimination and stigmatization will only prevent immigrants
from integrating and identifying with the culture and society where they live. In some extreme cases,
they could turn to extremism and terrorism. 5 Thus, at the national level, it is important thatlegislations and policies be put in place to ensure immigrants equal entitlements as any other
2 Available at https://migrationdataportal.org/global-compact-for-migration#22.

Jack Goodman, “What’s the UN Global Compact on Migration?” BBC News, December 20, 2018.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-46607015. See also the meeting coverage of the UN, available athttps://www.un.org/press/en/2018/dev3375.doc.htm.
4 For the first time, migration is recognized in the SDGs as one of the key elements contributing to theirattainment. Eleven out of seventeen goals contain targets and indicators relevant to migration.
5 For example, see Peter Bergen, “A Pattern in Terror—Second Generation, Homegrown,” CNN, May 24, 2018.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/opinions/homegrown-terrorism-opinion-bergen/index.html.
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ALFP e-magazine issue 6: Migration and Multicultural Coexistence

citizens. To promote non-discrimination, President John F. Kennedy signed the first affirmative
action provision in 1961 to ensure minorities be employed and treated equally. Some Asiancountries also introduced affirmative action to help disadvantaged social groups, such as theeducation policy in favor of minorities in China and the standardization policy assisting
geographically disadvantaged students to gain higher education in Sri Lanka.6
At the societal level, NGOs could play an important role in helping and facilitating the inclusion
and integration of immigrants. I had first-hand experience with a NGO called Asian Americans forEquality (AAFE) in the United States. As its name suggests, AAFE aims at advancing equality incommunities. It provides a variety of services, ranging from ensuring the right to decent housing,helping its clients to get social support programs, and providing small loans to providing English
as a Second Language courses as well as civil education.7 It organizes activities to celebrate andpromote Asian culture, and to promote political participation of Asian immigrants to have theirvoice and concerns heard and heeded by the government. Through the organization, Asian
Americans not only obtain the resources they need for adjusting and adapting to life in a newcountry, but also find a community they could belong to and rely on.
With accelerated globalization, multicultural coexistence is a reality facing world communities. An
influx of immigrants brings challenges as well as opportunities, considering that 74% of migrants
are at working age.8 This is particularly true to an aging society where labor resources are muchneeded. Debate over the “melting pot” approach to immigration, where a common identity isforged through assimilation, or the “salad bowl” approach, which advocates for the retention of
separate cultures under the law and the bond of markets, goes on.9 Regardless, both approaches
would agree that racism and xenophobia could only breed hostility and distrust, tearing the social
fabric and breeding extremism. As UNESCO rightly points out, “cultural diversity is as necessary
for humankind as biodiversity is for nature.”10

The contents of this article reflect solely the opinions of the author.
6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action.
7 For more information, see https://www.aafe.org/2016/10/aafe-helps-people-improve-their-lives.html.
8 See footnote 1.
9 For more details, see https://www.hoover.org/research/melting-pots-and-salad-bowls.
10 UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity, available at http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-

URL_ID=13179&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html.
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