Migration and Development Organizations
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is a leader at integrating
migration concerns into development projects. But other organizations also operate at the nexus of development and
migration. Most focus on remittances and engaging migrant
associations in development projects. Contact information
for these organizations is found on page 12 in the “Migration and Development Resources” section.
have found that the remittances-for-development model faces
many challenges (see IADB below). Some of IAF’s transnational projects include promoting savings and investment of
remittances in El Salvador; increasing access to remittance
transfers in southwest Mexico; and investing in productive agricultural activities in migrant-sending communities
throughout Mexico.5
German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ):
GTZ, a German overseas development agency, is one of the
leading governmental organizations working on development and migration. Its projects focus on remittances and diaspora engagement.1 GTZ has worked with remittances and
migrant associations in Serbia, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and
Rwanda, among other nations.2 Although GTZ has been a
leader in implementing development projects that integrate
diasporas, Latin America has not been a focus of its migration work.
Inter-American Development Bank (IADB): The IADB
is the largest source of development financing for Latin
America and the Caribbean. It has also been a major supporter of migrant remittance projects for development. The
IADB’s Multilateral Investment Fund finances projects that
facilitate inexpensive remittance transfers and seeks to make
formal banking services available to people who receive and
send remittances. The IADB is also a top source of research
and evaluation on remittances and was a pioneer in using
remittances for development in Latin America.6 One typical
IADB migration and development project in western Mexico
sought to promote productive agribusiness activities in migrant-sending regions through integrating remittances into
job creation projects in migrants’ hometowns.7 Although the
IADB is a pioneer in funding remittance projects, according to its own review of remittance-for-development projects,
very few have been successful at developing sustainable productive activities and job creation.8
The Inter-American Foundation
(IAF): The Inter-American Foundation is one of the U.S. government
agencies most focused on migration
and development due in part to its
mandate to promote development
through working with Latin American grassroots organizations. Most
of the IAF’s work on transnational
development has been in Mexico
and Central America. It has focused
primarily on remittance projects
in conjunction with local partners.
Although remittance projects have
been the most common type of development project seeking to reduce
migration pressures, evaluations
8 Briefing Paper, December 2010
Richard Lord
International Organization for Migration (IOM): IOM is
the leading multilateral organization in the field of migration. IOM works on a wide range of immigration issues,
including ensuring humane treatment of migrants and promoting international cooperation on migration issues. IOM
also devotes about 10 percent of its budget to migration and
development.3 Like GTZ, IOM approaches the links between
migration and development with an emphasis on harnessing
the diaspora for development. IOM often partners with local
organizations and supports diaspora
and remittance programs around
the world, including in Latin America. Some IOM projects target productive investment and job creation
to reduce migration pressures.4
Development projects in migrant-sending countries such as Guatemala, where this woman
from Chontala is working in her field, rarely include attention to the impacts of development
on reducing migration pressures.