UN Secretary General to address Global Forum on Migration in Athens

Oct 29, 2009, 12:00 GMT

Athens - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will address a two-day Global Forum on Migration and Development in Athens starting November 4, officials said Thursday.

The third meeting of the Global Forum, which will include the participation of 130 governments and over 40 international organisations, will look at ways to integrate migration policies into development stategies for the benefit of all.

'Economic migration should be a choice and not forced due to violence,' Deputy Interior Minister Theodora Tzakri told journalists.

Tzakri said the conference would address the development benefits of integration and examine ways to achieve greater policy coherence between migration and development.

Greece currently has 650,000 legalised and 250,000 illegal immigrants who contribute roughly 4 per cent of the country's GDP.

Sitting at the crossroads of three continents, Greece has become the main transit point for tens of thousands of immigrants seeking entry into the European Union via Turkey. The number of illegal immigrants, mainly from Africa and the Middle East, has surged over the past year.

The immigrants are often trying to escape war zones in Africa and end up paying thousands of dollars to smuggling rings for help in reaching the west.

The first meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which took place in 2007 in Belgium, examined the impact of migration on social and economic development.

The second meeting held a year later in Manila emphasised the humna aspect of migration and the protection of migrant rights.