Established: 2008

Objectives

The Asia – EU Dialogue on Labour Migration seeks to develop and enhance inter- and intra-regional exchange of ideas and strategies on facilitating managed and legal migration between Asia and the European Union (EU).  It brings together representatives from the different governmental entities involved in the labour migration process, such as ministries of labour, employment, immigration, expatriate welfare, specialized agencies, embassies etc., as well as experts from outside the governmental sphere. The Asia – EU Dialogue on Labour Migration aims to improve understanding of the key trends and issues, support the identification of common policy concerns, and promote actions which will facilitate safe and legal labour migration between the two regions and its impact on development. 

It seeks to achieve these objectives by ensuring that the different regional and national perspectives and policies are given due consideration, thus allowing for origin countries to better understand the challenges faced by destination countries and vice versa. Examples of best practices/lessons learned from ongoing research, projects and programmes are analysed, along with recent legislative and policy developments.

Current Focus

  • Development of safe and legal labour migration between Asia and the EU
  • Improving data and its dissemination to relevant governments, employers and potential migrant workers
  • Matching labour needs with labour supply
  • High-skilled migrants; students
  • Mobility partnerships
  • Protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families
  • Monitoring of recruitment agencies, codes of conduct
  • Providing reliable information to potential migrants
  • Support for grievance redress
  • Combating irregular migration (in origin and destination countries)
  • Prevention in origin countries
  • Sanctions for employers in destination countries
  • Development potential of labour migration for origin and destination countries
  • Potential of circular migration concept

Secretariat:

  • No official Secretariat.  Secretariat functions are performed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 
Participating States

 

(39 Member States, 28 EU Member States + 11 Colombo Process Member States)

  • Afghanistan
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • China
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sweden
  • Thailand
  • United Kingdom
  • Vietnam

 

Observers

 

Observer States

  • Bahrain
  • Kuwait
  • Malaysia
  • Qatar
  • Republic of Korea
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates

Observer Organizations

  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  • Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
  • Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)
  • Department for International Development, UK (DFID)
  • European Commission
  • International Labour Organization (ILO)
  • International Organization for Migration (IOM)
  • United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
  • World Bank

 

Meetings

 

Recent Meetings

  • Third Asia – EU Dialogue on Labour Migration, 15 – 16 October, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Previous Meetings

  • Second Asia – EU Dialogue on Labour Migration, 08 – 09 February, 2011, Brussels, Belgium
  • Asia – EU Dialogue on Labour Migration, 29 – 30 April 2008, Brussels, Belgium

 

Contact Information

International Organization for Migration
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Rajanakam Building, 18th floor,
183 South Sathorn Road,
Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 343 94 00
Fax: +66 2 343 94 99
Email: ROBangkok@iom.int
http://www.iom.int