The Netherlands' prince to join migration forum in RP

MANILA, Philippines - Prince Constantijn, the youngest son of the Netherlands' Queen Beatrix, will arrive in the Philippines to join the country's business leaders, analysts, and executives in a forum on Wednesday about migration issues. The 38-year-old prince, born Constantijn Christof Frederik Aschwin, is chairman of The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration (THP) composed of individuals and organizations from more than 80 countries specializing in migration issues. THP aims to promote "a just world where refugees and migrants contribute to economic and social development, cultural richness and diversity without suffering discrimination and human rights violations." Prince Constantijn will participate in the forum titled “CEOs Luncheon Meeting: The Business of Migration." The event, organized by the Makati Business Club and the Management Association of the Philippines, will be held on June 4 at the Rigodon Ballroom of the The Peninsula Manila, corner of Ayala and Makati avenues in Makati City. THP project coordinator Antoine Meyer said the forum, which is part of the "Big Cities Initiative," would examine "the relationship between business and migration so as to enable business to play a more constructive role in shaping humane and effective refugee and migration policy agenda, building on its own resources and experiences." "Business can actively promote and ensure the inclusion into the labor force of refugees and migrants and be a catalyst for social change," Meyer said. After the forum, Prince Constantijn will speak before local chief executives in another event organized by the League of Cities of the Philippines. The event, dubbed “Meeting the Challenge of Rural-to-Urban Mobilization and International Migration," will be held at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati. Meyer said the "Big Cities Initiative" was a response to the recommendations of the Final Report of the Global Commission on Migration. The report seeks to take up the issue of migration, mobility, and inclusion in major urban areas across the globe within a human rights and development perspective, according to Meyer. “Insights and innovative findings from both initiatives should provide input to the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), notably through the THP network and its advisory body, the Club of The Hague," she said. The second GFMD will be held in Manila on October 27-30, 2008, with the theme, “Protecting and Empowering Migrants for Development." The first GFMD was held in July 2007 in Brussels, Belgium. Meyer said the THP had mobilized its global network to facilitate regional initiatives focusing on refugee and migration issues. The non-government Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services, Inc. (IDEALS) supports THP's initiatives. IDEALS, a member of the Club of The Hague in the Philippines, is a Philippine partner of the THP. Citing government data, Maya Bans-Cortina, IDEALS' migration consultant, said about 8.23 million Filipinos are scattered around the globe. She said overseas Filipino workers sent remittance of about $US14.44 billion in 2007 — with US$2.24 billion coming from sea-based workers, and US$12.21 billion from land-based workers. "While migration is beneficial to the host and sending countries, migrants fall prey to abuses and discrimination, not to mention its social costs to the OFW families and brain drain," said Bans-Cortina. "We welcome these kinds of initiatives. We hope that through these dialogues, the issues surrounding migration and development will be addressed decisively and at the soonest possible time," she added. - GMANews.TV