Population, territory and sustainable development

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The above description is clearly biased towards the potential of population mobility to promote
sustainable development and improve living conditions. As a result, it masks the adverse effects that
mobility could have on sustainable development and the life-paths of migrants and their families. The
potential damage includes: (i) movement from poor regions to rich regions can increase territorial
inequalities and erode the human resources base in poor regions (poverty trap), thereby compromising
their sustainable development options; (ii) migration may not be absorbed in the destination places in a
sustainable manner and could result in economic, social or environmental imbalances; (iii) migrants may
not succeed in actually improving their living conditions because conditions are not better in the
destination place or because they encounter barriers; (iv) international migrants in particular can be
subjected to abuse, humiliation, discrimination, segregation, xenophobia or resentment from natives, who
are afraid that they will be displaced or replaced by newcomers; and (v) migrants can face difficulties and
barriers in trying to integrate and settle in a different sociocultural context, and this stress can take a toll
on their physical and mental health or general social performance.
It is not unintentional that this second chapter (which constitutes a conceptual frame of reference
for the report) closes by contrasting the potential and risks of population mobility and spatial distribution
for sustainable development of different territories. The report is primarily descriptive, and it therefore
systematizes, presents and analyses the most recent evidence to give an up-to-date assessment of the issue
based on that evidence. But it also makes proposals, which is a central dimension of this work. The
proposals made are in line with the public policy proposals and reflections of ECLAC and refer to key
issues for the Commission, such as achieving greater equality, the protection and exercise of rights,
strengthening production, environmental protection and improved governance. Both the potential and the
risks of each proposal are taken into account, as are the conditions required to implement the proposals
effectively. Proposing a set of policies and measures that create benefits for an entire population is not an
easy task, and interventions often have adverse effects on certain groups and entail risks of collateral
damage, negative externalities or dangerous consequences. The subject covered in this work is a complex
one. For that reason, the aim is to anticipate both the positive outcomes and the potential risks of the
proposals made.