Pasquale Lupoli, is the Senior Regional Advisor for Europe, International Organization for Migration (OIM) and he has been working in the migration field for 30 years. In his speech, which opened the second plenary session, Mr. Lupoli provided a clear overview of the migratory phenomena.

In fact, “the XXI is the century of mobility, and one person out of seven is a migrant nowadays”. All these people on the move are having a huge impact at global and European level, but “migration is expected to increase not disappear” and we need to deal with this fact. Mobility is not per se negative, but it is instead necessary, inevitable and even desirable (when properly managed).

As we know, migration is strictly related to wars “there are at the moment 45 ongoing ethnic and humanitarian conflicts in the world”, which are producing a massive number of refugees and migrants, but then we need also to face the problem of environmental degradation and natural disasters that are profoundly impacting the lives of millions of people. As a result, according to Mr. Lupoli’s words, we are now confronting with “mix migration flows, in which both refugees and not refugees are on the move”.

Along with wars and natural disasters, migrants are leaving their countries due to the lack of health systems, internal instability, infrastructures and higher education possibilities. It is important to recall that “Europe is not seeing as a panacea, or even as a particularly inviting place, given the chance most refugees [and migrants] would not leave the Middle East or their countries of origin, but Europe is perceived as preferable, a safe alternative to staying in host countries where there is irregular humanitarian assistance and minimal opportunity for finding employment and education”.

In regards to the construction of barriers and fences, this is not the solution since we are pushing migrants and refugees in the hands of smugglers, “walls do not enhance security”. What we need instead is to improve reception centers and ensure legal means of travel.

Keeping in mind the distinction between migrant and asylum seeker, “is it our solidarity stopping at refugee definition?”. People are not driven just by the necessity of escaping from poverty, “it’s more complex, we are talking about human beings, and it is also about the future or trying to reunite a family or running from other forms of deprivation.”