A/RES/66/217 Acknowledging the important nexus between international migration and development and the need to deal with the challenges and opportunities that migration presents to countries of origin, transit and destination, recognizing that migration brings benefits as well as challenges to the global community, and stressing that the brain drain continues to be a severe problem in many developing and transitioning countries, undermining efforts in the area of human resources development, Reaffirming that gender equality is of fundamental importance for achieving sustained economic growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development, in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions and United Nations conferences, and that investing in the development of women and girls has a multiplier effect, in particular on productivity, efficiency and sustained economic growth, in all sectors of the economy, especially in key areas such as agriculture, industry and services, Recognizing that education is the key to promoting the development of human potential, equality and understanding among peoples, as well as to sustaining economic growth and eradicating poverty, and recognizing also that, to achieve those ends, it is essential that quality education be available to all, including indigenous peoples, girls and women, rural inhabitants and persons with disabilities, Stressing that Governments have the primary responsibility for defining and implementing appropriate policies for human resources development, and the need for continued support from the international community for the national efforts of developing countries, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General; 1 2. Calls upon Member States to place human resources development at the core of economic and social development and develop short-, medium- and longterm strategies to effectively enhance their human resources capacities, as educated, healthy, capable, productive and flexible workforces are the foundation for achieving sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and development; Stresses the need for Member States to emphasize and integrate human 3. resources development into national development strategies, including national development policies and strategies to eradicate poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, in order to address structural and multidimensional challenges to enhancing national productive capacities and to ensure that human resources development implications are taken into account by all national development stakeholders; Encourages Member States to adopt and implement comprehensive 4. human resources development strategies premised on national development objectives that ensure a strong link between education, training and employment, help to maintain a productive and competitive workforce and are responsive to the needs of the economy; Emphasizes the need for Member States to adopt cross-sectoral 5. approaches and mechanisms to identify human resources development needs in the medium and long term for all sectors of the economy and to formulate and implement policies and programmes to address those needs; _______________ 1 2 A/66/206.