Last week, the World Bank published the 2023 edition of its World Development Report (WDR), with a focus on “Migrants, Refugees, and Societies.” The report provides a sweeping overview of the issues facing migrants, refugees, and countries of origin, transit, and destination, encapsulating it all in a neat new matrix. While the contents aren’t groundbreaking, the fact it exists at all is. So what does the report include, and why does it matter?
The European Commission has quietly announced that it now has major ambitions to recruit international workers for its green transition. This is sensible, necessary, and can be positive for all involved. It will, however, face challenges. This blog reviews the EU’s goals, and suggests ways to go about fulfilling them.
President Biden is scheduled to deliver his second State of the Union address tonight. Historically, these speeches have focused on domestic policy and leading national security issues, yielding limited airtime for international development. But, on occasion, past presidents of both parties have spotlighted development and humanitarian policy in big and small ways. Here’s a trip down SOTU memory lane:
COP27, just concluded in Sharm El-Sheikh, was dubbed the ‘implementation COP’ by its Egyptian hosts. But it’s very difficult to implement without workers. The COP27 agreement emphasises that a “just and equitable transition” must include “workforce and other dimensions.” This short, vague language covers a vast and urgent challenge that requires policymakers worldwide to collaborate on a solution.
The UK currently has a shortage of nearly 47,000 nurses in the NHS; a Global Skill Partnership could help solve NHS staff shortages. The UK will gain much-needed skilled nurses at a cheaper cost than if they had been trained in the US, while the sending country benefits from nurse training that covers more students than migrate, thereby increasing the number of trained nurses at home.