Migration, a Serious Issue All Over the Balkans

Representatives of UNFPA in Kosovo, the Institute of Public Health, the Kosovo Agency of Statistics and the Ombudsman Institution in Kosovo are representing Kosovo at this event of regional importance.

The discussion at this conference is focused on the circumstances that are driving people to migrate in search of a better life.

Representatives of international organizations, various missions, but also those of the participating states/regions are calling for closer cooperation. According to them, the issue of migration is a crisis and should be taken seriously.

Discussions at the start of the conference raised issues and opportunities on how to prevent migration, such as the opportunities for countries to improve conditions so that young people do not leave.

Alanna Armitage, UNFPA Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia who addressed the audience, said that the movements and migration of peoples should be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, Adil Osmanovic, Minister of Social Affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that the issue of migration has gripped the whole region and for that matter, the region should be attentive and cooperate in preventing it.

“The theme that will develop in these two days, I can say is dramatic. Migration has swept across the region and is really worrying. The causes often have a common denominator leading to economic problems. We need to work together to prevent exodus and the dynamics of changing populations in the region” said Osmanovic, Bosnia’s minister of social affairs.

The conference on Population Dynamics, Human Capital, and Sustainable Development in Sarajevo is supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is funded by UNFPA, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, UNDCO, etc.