Distribution Network
Content
Enlightened self-interest should spur business support for migrants, argue Mary Robinson and Aron Cramer
For the business community, labour migration has become a pressing question that affects numerous decisions around the globe. Increasingly, it is important for businesses to think about migration not just in terms of the bottom line, but also in terms of how they can contribute to migration policies and practices that protect fundamental human rights.
In places such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations are often disadvantaged, and sometimes legally unable to defend their rights. Nearby, in China, one of the largest internal migrations in recent history has seen millions of people, many of them young women, move from rural China to the boomtowns of coastal China, making them increasingly vulnerable to abuses ranging from unsafe work conditions to discrimination and sexual violence. In Europe, the enlargement of the European Union is simultaneously being credited with raising overall economic wellbeing while also threatening economic and social stability. And in the US, the mistreatment of guest workers in sectors such as agriculture and services continues to raise serious concerns.
But why should business be more engaged in protecting the rights of migrants and in working with governments to foster more humane migration policies? There are three main reasons.
Let’s start with self-interest. Business will always seek to attract the highest quality employees to deliver products and services with greatest value at a reasonable cost. The free movement of people ensures that marketplace principles prevail in workforce development. Open borders, and open societies, provide the ideal operating environment for business.
A second reason is the fast-changing role of business in society. It grows clearer by the day that attention to responsible business practices is necessary to build and maintain public trust. Companies cannot make good on their commitment to corporate responsibility without looking at their opportunities to promote humane migration policies and to protect the rights of migrants in their direct operations and supply chains.
The third reason is the private sector’s unique capacity to promote the smooth integration of new populations into receiving societies. At its best, business is able to knit diverse communities into a single entity, with a common sense of purpose.
In Los Angeles in March, leaders from business, government and the community met to explore the challenges and opportunities migration presents for business, building on two similar events held in Johannesburg and London. The findings will be submitted in July as part of a new intergovernmental forum on international migration and development. We hope these discussions will pave the way for more active and principled engagement in the future and build a common understanding of business’s common purpose.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, is the founder and president of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. Aron Cramer is President and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility.
For the business community, labour migration has become a pressing question that affects numerous decisions around the globe. Increasingly, it is important for businesses to think about migration not just in terms of the bottom line, but also in terms of how they can contribute to migration policies and practices that protect fundamental human rights.
In places such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations are often disadvantaged, and sometimes legally unable to defend their rights. Nearby, in China, one of the largest internal migrations in recent history has seen millions of people, many of them young women, move from rural China to the boomtowns of coastal China, making them increasingly vulnerable to abuses ranging from unsafe work conditions to discrimination and sexual violence. In Europe, the enlargement of the European Union is simultaneously being credited with raising overall economic wellbeing while also threatening economic and social stability. And in the US, the mistreatment of guest workers in sectors such as agriculture and services continues to raise serious concerns.
But why should business be more engaged in protecting the rights of migrants and in working with governments to foster more humane migration policies? There are three main reasons.
Let’s start with self-interest. Business will always seek to attract the highest quality employees to deliver products and services with greatest value at a reasonable cost. The free movement of people ensures that marketplace principles prevail in workforce development. Open borders, and open societies, provide the ideal operating environment for business.
A second reason is the fast-changing role of business in society. It grows clearer by the day that attention to responsible business practices is necessary to build and maintain public trust. Companies cannot make good on their commitment to corporate responsibility without looking at their opportunities to promote humane migration policies and to protect the rights of migrants in their direct operations and supply chains.
The third reason is the private sector’s unique capacity to promote the smooth integration of new populations into receiving societies. At its best, business is able to knit diverse communities into a single entity, with a common sense of purpose.
In Los Angeles in March, leaders from business, government and the community met to explore the challenges and opportunities migration presents for business, building on two similar events held in Johannesburg and London. The findings will be submitted in July as part of a new intergovernmental forum on international migration and development. We hope these discussions will pave the way for more active and principled engagement in the future and build a common understanding of business’s common purpose.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, is the founder and president of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. Aron Cramer is President and CEO of Business for Social Responsibility.
Super Featured
No
Featured
No