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Gender focal
points address issues of gender and migration
Representatives of Governments’ designated focal point
for gender from 14 countries in Asia and the Pacific participated
in the Regional Seminar on Strengthening the Capacity of National
Machineries for Gender Equality to Shape Migration Policies and
Protect Migrant Workers, which was held in Bangkok from 22 to
24 November 2006. The Gender and Development Section, Emerging
Social Issues Division, UNESCAP organized the Seminar.
Ms. Kum-Sil Kang, Ambassador-at-large on Gender Affairs, Republic
of Korea, presented a keynote address in which she stressed that
a gender perspective was essential in understanding the causes
and consequences of the increasing trend in international migration
in the region and in Governments’ efforts to develop strategies,
policies and laws to protect women and men migrants.
The agenda of the Regional Seminar included such topics as trends
and implications of migration in the region, gender and migration
in the Pacific, the situation of migrant domestic workers, the
situation of children of migrants, female international marriage
migrants, a case study of female migration in Cambodia and internal
population displacement resulting from conflict or from infrastructure
development projects. The ILO, UNIFEM, WHO and the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) made presentations on their related
programmes.
The outcome statement of the Regional Seminar stated that “National
Machineries for Gender Equality in both source and host countries
should aim to take an enhanced role in the formulation and implementation
of policies related to internal and international migration. They
should encourage gender mainstreaming in the formulation, monitoring
and evaluation of those policies. National Machineries are urged
to take a lead role on particular migration issues, such as the
protection of the rights of women migrants, child migrants and
the children of migrants in vulnerable situations.”
Note: The report of the Seminar is available
from http://www.unescap.org/esid/GAD/index.asp.
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