Female Migrants: Bridging the Gaps throughout the Life Cycle

Women make up nearly half of all migrants, an estimated 95 million of 191 million people living outside their countries of origin in 2005.1 Having said this, after many years of observing migration and collecting data there is remarkably little reliable information about women as migrants. This anomaly underlines their continuing invisibility to policymakers and development planners. The High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development by the General Assembly on 14-15 September 2006 offers the best opportunity in a generation to address the rights, needs, capabilities and contribution of women migrants.

This report includes the different perspectives of experts on female migration from countries of origin, transit and destination from all five continents, as well as representatives from international agencies, NGOs and diaspora organizations. This twoday expert group meeting also produced a set of conclusions and recommendations for all stakeholders to be conveyed to the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development at the General Assembly in September 2006.