ANNUAL REPORT 2004 Democratization Migration/Freedom of Movement number of IDPs in the OSCE area, there are still an esti- while also calling on OSCE institutions to mainstream mated 3 million internally displaced persons in the re- IDP issues into their relevant activities across the re- gion. Many IDPs continue to live in long-term displace- gion. ment with no solution in sight to the conflicts that forced them to flee. Against the background of waning international attention, finding durable solutions 2. Protection framework for migrants crossing international borders for such people remains a major challenge. The fate of IDPs in the OSCE region was the subject of the last Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of Promoting interstate co-operation on labour migration, migration-related information, and human rights of migrants 2004. Co-organized by the ODIHR, the meeting provided a forum for the discussion of practical steps that OSCE participating States, field operations, and institutions can take to alleviate the plight of IDPs, focusing Despite the objective benefits brought by migrant workers to their host economies, legislation and lawenforcement practices in receiving countries often “By not addressing obvious causes earlier, we all hamper access of migrant workers to legitimate jobs. pay much more both in financial and human However, legal and bureaucratic obstacles do not nec- terms in responding only when the humanitari- essarily decrease the inflow of migrants; on the con- an imperative becomes irresistible. The UN and trary, they may result in reducing the legitimate base regional organizations could play a much more for migration and employment. Consequently, the ris- valuable, pre-emptive role by taking time to en- ing number of irregular migrants and shadow employ- sure that the real causative factors are actively ment pose a threat of loss of control over migration addressed as an integral part of the internation- flows for the authorities and give grounds for the al response.” spread of unlawful practices. Enlarging the legitimate basis of labour migration could be achieved through Dennis McNamara, Special Adviser to the UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator and Director of the Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division improvement of a national migration-management system and effective co-operation between sending and receiving countries. in particular on the various stages of internal displace- Throughout the last decade, and increasingly in the ment and specific vulnerable groups. second half of 1990s, the Russian Federation has be- Particular attention was paid to state responsibility towards IDPs, their fundamental rights and freedoms, “[The Ministerial Council] undertakes to combat and to finding durable solutions in the areas of resi- discrimination against migrant workers. [It] fur- dency, voluntary return and resettlement, reintegra- ther undertakes to facilitate the integration of tion, and property restitution and repossession. migrant workers into the societies in which they are residing. [The Ministerial Council] calls on the ODIHR to reinforce its activities in this respect.” Participants called on OSCE participating States to develop detailed laws and policies to protect IDPs and to OSCE Maastricht Ministerial Council Decision No 4/03 on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination end situations of displacement, using the UN Guiding Principles of Internal Displacement as a framework, 43