Democratization IV. Migration and freedom of movement The scope and complexity of population movement, both within and across borders, continues to grow. Increased migration poses ever increasing challenges for countries of destination, origin and transit in tracking and managing population movements while maximizing the economic, social and cultural benefits of migration for their societies and for migrants themselves. OSCE participating States have committed themselves to the creation of conditions facilitating the movement of people across borders, as well as within their own countries, and to the protection of migrants’ human rights. Faced with increased migration flows, a number of participating States have taken steps to accommodate these migrants, but appropriate policy and legal frameworks for their protection are not always in place. Restrictions still exist in many places to the cross-border and internal movement of citizens, while limited knowledge of best practices in migration management and a lack of active inter-state dialogue pose a challenge to citizens and governments alike. Moreover, misconceptions persist throughout the OSCE region regarding the impact of migration, and there is a limited understanding of the benefits it brings. ODIHR provides assistance in developing a conceptual and legal basis for the reform of population registration systems, offers expertise in policy development, and reviews draft laws and regulations In response to a request from OSCE field operations, ODIHR undertook a review of existing practices in the OSCE region and developed non-normative guidelines elucidating the main principles for the establishment and maintenance of a functional model of population registration. The Guidelines on Population Registration describe the criteria for developing efficient population registration systems that correspond to the needs of the participating States and their citizens. The guidelines outline the main elements of systems of this kind and highlight recognized good practices from across the OSCE area, while taking divergent administrative traditions into account. The guidelines will be presented and distributed in the first half of 2009. In 2008, ODIHR continued to provide advisory assistance to the OSCE Presence in Albania on the implementation of a technical assistance project aimed at assisting the government in modernising its population registration and address systems. The population register that was developed as a result of the OSCE project significantly shortens the time needed for the creation of voter lists and facilitates better management of citizen data. Internal migration - Assistance in reforming 34 population-registration systems Cross-border migration - Promoting interstate In a number of participating States in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, some remnants of the restrictive Communist-era propiska system still pose legal and administrative obstacles to the freedom of movement and choice of place of residence. As an individual’s registered place of residence is linked to the provision of state services, internal migrants are often denied access to health care, education, the ability to vote, and even to the labour market. Although population-registration reforms have been introduced throughout the region, barriers to freedom of movement remain. co-operation for integration into host societies Annual Report 2008 Strong economic growth and demographic changes have led to structural labour shortages in some OSCE participating States, while others are experiencing high levels of unemployment. Many migrant workers are unable to obtain registration and lawful employment due either to existing regulations or limited knowledge of their rights in their countries of destination. This leaves these migrants are vulnerable to exploitation. There is a need to redouble efforts by both sending and receiving countries and to intensify inter-state dialogue in order to