On October 31, 2013 the Section «Migration, Refugees and Tolerance Issues in Contemporary World» was held in the framework of the XII International Scientific Conference «Belarus in Contemporary World». The event was conducted jointly by the UNHCR Office in the Republic of Belarus, the Faculty of International Relations of BSU and the International Non-governmental Association for Scientific Research, Information and Educational Programmes «Evolutio».
21 persons took part in the Section’s work, including Jean Yves Bouchardy, UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Belarus. Members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, researchers, professors and post-graduate students of the Belarusian State University, the Academy of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus also presented their thesis on proposed scientific topic. The participants discussed the issues relating to migration, refugees protection, development of tolerant behavior towards them, etc.
In his opening speech Victor Shadurski, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations of the BSU, noted an increasing relevance of the issues discussed at the Section in contemporary world. The relevance of attracting highly qualified labour resources, formation of tolerance behavior towards aliens — all these topical issues are upon the agenda of any developed country of the world nowadays. Belarus can’t stand apart of these processes. Giving an example of Turkmen students studying in the BSU, he told that tolerance formation in educational sphere is a priority. Besides, the FIR Dean distinguished three levels of refugees, migration and tolerance issues perception in contemporary world: scientific, publicistic and domestic. Considering the publicistic approach, he noted an importance of journalists’ vision of the topic considered. Here, unfortunately, there is a number of problems, which need to be dealt with. V. Shadurski drew attention of the participants to the fact that it is a very scientific approach which allows to give verified tips and to find solutions to many questions. Significant steps forward were made in this direction by the Republic of Belarus. Among successful initiatives he named a quarterly issued Journal of International Law and International Relations financed by the UNHCR and being a developing platform for stating and discussion of problems which the scientific community faces, as well as regular meetings of experts with today’s discussion in the framework of the Section «Migration, Refugees and Tolerance Issues in Contemporary World».
In his turn Jean Yves Bouchardy, UNHCR Representative in the Republic of Belarus, in the introductory speech expressed gratitude to the Faculty of International Relations and the INA “Evolutio” for including this topic in the annual conference. Migration, including forced migration, is an actual and one of the burning issues in today’s world. It is also one of the priority areas of the Government of Belarus in its cooperation with international agencies. He noted that despite the fact that there are few refugees in Belarus in comparison with many other countries, issues discussed at the Section don’t lose their relevance. Being the French by himself, Jean Yves Bouchardy once again noted that compared to the situation occurring now in France with xenophobia and intolerance in society, Belarus is a comparatively calm state.
Jean Yves Bouchardy also advised the participants to watch his interview for the TV Channel «Belarus 24», where he stresses that illegal migrants and refugees are two different categories of persons which should be distinguished. You can watch the full interview in Russian here.
The UNHCR Representative concluded his introductory speech with the thesis that ‘education is not only a basic human right for refugees, it is also a means for their protection’. Tolerance starts with education, at home and at school. Therefore, he once again thanked the Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University and the INA “Evolutio” for devoting serious attention to this subject and for giving the opportunity to discuss issues of migration, refugees and tolerance in the context of voluntary and forced migration.
Preseding the participants' speeches, Andrey Selivanov, INA "Evolutio" Executive Director, noted that similiar section on the issues of refugees, migration and tolerance has been held since 2007 and each year it gains more popularity among the academicians. The number of participants has been increasing. The Section is an open platform for discussion of the topic proposed between practicians and theoreticians. Materials announced at the Section are often published in the Journal of International Law and International Relations, which is successful among the academic community.
An important and interesting topic was touched by Tatiana Meleshko, Senior Inspector at Large of the Department on Citizenship and Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, in her presentation «External Migration in the Interests of the Republic of Belarus Development». She told about the situation with migration in Belarus in general: during the first eight months of 2013 11 639 foreign citizens came to Belarus, 4808 — left Belarus; migration balance totaled 6831 persons, which is 1589 more than during the same period of 2012. In the previous year migration growth compensated natural population decline by 37 %. Citizens of the Russian Federation compose 90 % in the total migration flow. She also noted that, unfortunately, disproportion in the territorial structure of population is still worsening. In this regard, it could be quite sensible to complete rational relocation of migrants into the regions having deficit in labour force, while the Belarusian agriculture potential, as well as comfortable housing in rural area will contribute to such relocation. Besides, Tatiana Meleshko told about the present National Programme of Demographic Security of the Republic of Belarus for 2011—2015. It includes the following directions: state sponsorship of the family, health care and life span extension, optimization of migration processes. Attracting migrants into the country taking into account investment, educational potential, age and need of the regions in labour resources is possible via: regional programmes on relocation; legal and financial support (provision with working places, residence permits, and compensational payments); information support which is formation of tolerance behavior and positive image of a migrant. In 2014 development of the National Programme of Demographic Security of the Republic of Belarus for 2016—2020 will begin. It is worth noting that the Department on Citizenship and Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus will be lobbying the inclusion of scientific community representatives into the working group on the development of the Programme. The section devoted to migration processes may be amended and adjusted with qualitative recommendations on the issues of refugees and stateless persons.
Iryna Vashko, the Academy of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus representative, in her presentation on the topic «Importance of Demographic Tendencies Accounting in the Strategy of the State Migration Policy of Belarus Development» noted that new Schengen zone borders, cooperation development between Belarus and CIS countries, formation of the Common Economic Space of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan including openness of the borders state new tasks in the sphere of mixed migration flows management. Belarus now faces the problems of provision the labour market with labour force, regulation of migration in conditions of formation of new regional communities. At the same time it is necessary to take into account a narrowing demand on the labour market, presence of external migration, irrationalism of internal migration flows and increased mobility of labour force.
Vladimir Zagorets, Associate Professor of the Department on the Management of Regional Development of the Academy of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus, made a presentation «Role and Significance of the Human Resources Migration in Contemporary Society». He told that contemporary migration greatly influences the population composition. Eventually, it can result in the total alteration of this composition and substitution of the present population with either migrants or their descendants or with the population of mixed origin. If the present tendencies preserve till the end of the century, migration will become the main factor influencing population characteristics of both separate countries and the whole continents with appropriate positive and negative consequences.
In her turn, Iryna Zagorets, Associate Professor of the Department on the Management of Regional Development of the Academy of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus, in the presentation «Peculiarities of External Migration of Population Registration» drew attention to the fact that extension of labour markets to the global limits occurs in the globalization epoch. No country of the world (only in case it conducts the policy isolationism) can use labour forces of exclusively national origins. Simultaneously, part of country’s labour forces participating in the international labour migration of population replenishes labour forces of a host country. Occurs a mutual resources exchange, which leads, as a rule, to increased labour potential of both countries. Thus, external migrations of the population significantly influence the total number and structure of country’s population. That’s why completeness and accuracy of the external migration registration is a relevant problem. Then she cites an array of methods used during the registration of external migration.
Igor Kotlyarov, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus, speaking at the Section told that exacerbation of international and interreligious conflicts at the end of the previous century exposed a necessity of formation of a new paradigm of a multicultural dialogue. Its most important subjects are the state and confessions, family and national communities, ethnic (national) minorities and persons as carriers of culture and tolerance, self-identity and equality.
Yegor Kubasov, post-graduate student of Grodno State University named after Yanka Kupala, in the presentation «Threat of the Cultural Identity Crisis of Eastern European Peoples in Conditions of Depopulation and Migration Processes» noted that an effective cultural assimilation of newly-come carriers of other, distant towards the host culture is hardly possible. As a result, mosaicism of the host culture which begins to be based on different ethnos, languages and religions is increasing.
Natalia Morozova, Associate Professor of the Department of Enterprises Economy of the Academy of Public Administration under the Aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus, in her turn presented the topic «Impact of Migration Processes on Labour Market: Applying the German Experience», where she told that conduct of a sensible policy on the labour market is one of the core tasks of any state with socio-oriented market economy. German experience is interesting for Belarus, while its labour markets have common traits. German experience in migration flows management exposed an acute necessity to extend the government’s participation in solution of the problems relating to acceptance and integration of aliens: problems of harmonization of the national migration legislation, its ordering with the purpose of a stiff limitation of a migrants flow and development of a diversified approach towards the acceptance of labour migrants for satisfaction of the national labour market needs and contribution to further economic growth.
Tatiana Selivanova, Associate Programme Officer of the UNHCR Office in Belarus, told about the UNHCR activities in general in contemporary world and also paid attention to UNCHR Office activities in the Republic of Belarus. She distinguished particular categories of persons such as refugees and asylum seekers, which should be separated in migration flows.
Konstantin Snisarenko, Senior Lecturer of the Department of International Relations of the FIR BSU, speaking on the topic «Immigration Issue in France at the End of the 20th — Beginning of the 21st Centuries» convinced the auditorium that immigration question in France was formed both under the impact of changes in the immigration process as well as under transformations which the French society suffers as a result of globalization processes development. He also noted that the world today becomes multicultural, lines between peoples’ cultural identification become blurred and citizens of the planet gradually become «citizens of the world».
Tatsiana Titova, Senior Research Associate of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus, in her presentation on the topic «Intellectual Migration in the National Security Context» drew attention of the participants to the fact that international security maintenance in contemporary world demands focusing on the development of science and education as priorities of sustainable development, and, therefore, attracting intellectual migration. The following policy directions allowing to impact positively on the processes of intellectual migration in Belarus are viewed as the most important: constant growth of R&D spending; elevation of the social status of scientific and highly qualified personnel; mobility development of researchers, participation of Belarusian scientific organizations in international projects; selective migration policy to attract highly qualified specialists to the country; effective cooperation with foreign scientists-compatriots.
Victor Ukhvanov, Lecturer of the Department of International Private and European Law of the FIR BSU, shared the information on the topic «Belarus in the Context of Contemporary Migration Processes», where he told that the Concept of the National Security of the Republic of Belarus states the presence of the whole range of factors strengthening the threat to national security. They are the following: depopulation, general aging of the nation, decline in the birth rate, worsening of the array of significant demographic indices and population health, as well as intensification of emigration processes and growth of uncontrolled immigration to the country.
At the end of the Section Yekaterina Yadchenko, post-graduate student of the FIR BSU, made her speech on the topic «Efficiency of Bilingual Education in the Process of Integration of Migrants in New Social and Cultural Conditions». She noted that bilingual education functions as a prerequisite of formation of lingual competence of migrants. Development of both languages is analyzed in inextricable connection — as a method forming both language competence and language consciousness. At this, education in a native tongue shall take into account its peculiarities as well as all possibilities of language interference in order to make one language system a basis to build further languages on it.
Each presentation was accompanied with intensive discussion of the topic as well as of the stated concepts’ application in contemporary realities of the Republic of Belarus.
Summing up the Section's results Andrey Selivanov noted that the topic of presentations, depth of the scientific analyses relating to implementation of rights and obligations of refugees, migration and tolerance formation in society clearly evidence that a big expert community was shaped in Belarus on the array of the topics discussed. He invited the participants to publish their materials in the Journal of International Law and International Relations.
You will be able to find the articles on the presented topics in the collection of conference materials.