Migration and displacement are important and rapidly growing phenomena.  More and more people in all parts of the world are on the move. In general, international migration refers to the voluntary movement of women and men across internationally recognized borders. They are driven by their search for a better life, economic opportunities, education, or their desire to reunite with family members abroad. In contrast, the 1951 United Nations (UN) Convention on Refugees refers to forced displacement or forced migration as the situation of people who are forced to leave or flee their homes due to conflict, violence and human rights violations.

UNDP is working to maximize the developmental benefits of migration and displacement for poor countries and people, and to mitigate any negative consequences. While humanitarian agencies provide invaluable and critical short-term responses to large-scale displacement and refugee scenarios, UNDP works with partner countries to balance short-term responses to addressing the impacts of migration and displacement with long-term sustainable development solutions.