In an increasingly globalized world, international migration is an expanding and multifaceted phenomenon. In order to understand the origins and effects of migration, the specific contexts in which it occurs require detailed analysis. This report assesses the migration policies of countries in the ESCWA region and addresses their shortcomings by examining such forms of migration as refugees and trafficking, evaluating their causes and investigating both their positive and negative consequences, which include the alleviation of poverty, brain drain and unemployment. It also highlights discrepancies in definitions and statistics that affect estimates of migration numbers and trends.