site.bta International Organization for Migration Deputy Director General Thompson: 21st Century Is the Century of Migration

International Organization for Migration Deputy Director General Thompson: 21st Century Is the Century of Migration

Sofia, October 20 (BTA) - The 21st Century is the century of migration, said here on Tuesday the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Deputy Director General, Laura Thompson, while delivering a public lecture on the contemporary migration tendencies. The lecture is organized by the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria.

There are currently 247 million international migrants in the world and their number is expected to reach 405 million by 2050. The migration phenomenon is inevitable, necessary and desired, especially when it is managed well, she commented, adding that the management of migration processes requires a comprehensive approach.

Thompson outlined the main reasons for migration as being economic, natural disasters and conflicts.

She noted that 60 million people are currently displaced because of conflicts or war, which is the largest number since WWII. Commenting the conflict in Syria, the IOM Deputy Director General explained that there are a little over four million refugees, who are mainly in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Europe has received over 500 million asylum applications by Syrian nationals.

Regarding Bulgaria, Thompson noted that over 1.2 million Bulgarians have left their country in the past 25 years. The profiles of Bulgarian emigrants range from low-skilled workers to highly educated professionals, she said.

Laura Thompson noted that Bulgaria's low birth rate and constant migration lead to a negative population growth. This means that this country could at some point also face the need to import migrants if its economic development requires it.

Thompson further noted that over 23,500 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have arrived in Bulgaria in 2015, while over 10,000 asylum applications have been submitted as of October. The majority of these people see Bulgaria as a transit country, she explained.