Dynamic migration process unfolding in Asia

“The Regional Dimension of International Migration and Development” was the topic of a panel discussion co-hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Regional Commissions Office, New York and held on 13 September.
Taking place in the framework of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (see page 1), the panel discussion contributed to the above-cited Dialogue and built on the regional approaches to international migration and development, as well as the various regional consultative processes developed for the past decade.
The United Nations Regional Commissions have played an increasingly active role in supporting regional research and facilitating regional policy dialogue on the multidimensional aspects of international migration and development.
The emergence of regional approaches to migration management is partly due to a growing realization that while international migration today is characterized by growing complexity, most migration still occurs on a regional basis and is characterized by very distinct patterns stemming from each region’s specific characteristics and the shared interests of groups of countries.
According to the regional fact sheets prepared for the Dialogue, several countries in East and South-East Asia are becoming important sources of migration in the region, while also starting to become destinations for migrants. Countries becoming major hosts include China; Hong Kong, China; India; Malaysia; the Republic of Korea; Singapore; Thailand and following the lead of Japan. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam remain important origins for migrants, both for the region and beyond.
Of nearly 3 million Asian workers that left their home countries between 1995 and 2000, about 40 per cent stayed in the region, the fact sheets noted, quoting an August 2006 report by the International Labour Organization. The ILO gauges the total amount of money remitted home by Asian migrant workers at USD 40 billion in 2003.
(Sources: IOM/UN News release, 13 September; Regional Fact Sheet, Asia)