“According to the United Nations, the number of international migrants increased by 41% over the last 15 years, from 173 million in 2000 to 244 million in 2015; the UN also point out that the main reasons for migrating include conflict, poverty, inequality and lack of decent jobs, and that the distinction between countries of origin, transit and destination is becoming increasingly obsolete”.
These data appear in the Declaration on Migrants and Refugees recently adopted by CICOPA. The UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees reached about 15.1 million in mid-2015, up from 10.5 million in 2012, which represents an increase of 40% in only 3 years, the vast majority being hosted by low or middle income countries.
In this declaration, CICOPA states that it is “fully aware of the complex reality which migrants are facing around the world and that it is, at times, a difficult or perilous path”. It goes on to add that, as an organisation which is active globally, it “strives to change this paradigm through the development and growth of industrial and service cooperatives, in compliance with the first cooperative principle according to which cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination”. Read more on CICOPA's website.
Photo: Greece is experiencing a large influx of refugees, and the Welcommon hostel project aims to house and integrate asylum seekers into society. [photo: Natalia Tsoukala/ Caritas International]
