The Asia – European Union Meeting’s (ASEM) Conference of the Directors General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows

Type: Inter-regional forum on migration (regions covered: Asia-Europe)

Formal association with regional or multi-stakeholder organization: Asia - European Union Meeting (ASEM)

Established: 2002

Objectives

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an informal process of dialogue and co-operation bringing together the European Union Member States and the European Commission with 19 Asian countries and the ASEAN Secretariat.  The ASEM dialogue addresses political, economic and cultural issues, with the objective of strengthening the relationship between our two regions, in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership. 

Migration has become a topic of discussion in the ASEM context following an ASEM Ministerial Conference on Cooperation for the Management of Migratory Flows between Europe and Asia in April 2002, at the initiative of China, Germany and Spain. The Conference agreed on a follow-up including an exchange of information on flows of migrants and migration management, cooperation in improving the quality and security of travel documents, fighting forgery of documents, setting up networks of immigration and consular liaison officers and meetings at expert and director-general level.  A single (not repeated) ministerial on migration was held in 2002. ASEM Conference of the Directors General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows has been held on a regular basis since March 2003. 
Additional discussion on migration, particularly on human resource mobility between Asia and Europe, may also enter the agenda of the ASEM Ministers of Employment and Labour Meetings. 

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) supports and augments the formal ASEM migration discussions through other conferencing, exchange and web-based activities on ASEM migration themes. 

Current Thematic Focus

• Border management
• Combatting human trafficking and protecting victims of human trafficking
• Irregular migration
• Labour migration: highly-skilled migration, preventing irregular employment
• Migration and education
• Unaccompanied migrant children

Chairing Country

• Current Coordinators for Asia: Philippines and Pakistan; and
• Current Coordinators for Europe: European External Action Service and Bulgaria

Secretariat

• ASEM Secretariat

Members

Member States (51 States, including 10 ASEAN Member States, 28 EU Member States and 13 other States in Asia)

• Australia         
• Austria
• Bangladesh
• Belgium
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Cambodia
• China
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Korea
• Lao PDR
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia         
• Malta 
• Mongolia        
• Myanmar
• Netherlands
• New Zealand  
• Norway          
• Pakistan         
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal         
• Romania
• Russian Federation
• Singapore       
• Slovakia          
• Slovenia         
• Spain  
• Sweden
• Switzerland    
• Thailand         
• United Kingdom
• Viet Nam

Member Organizations (2 organizations)

• ASEAN Secretariat
• European Union

Meetings

• 14th ASEM Conference of the Directors General of Immigration on Management of Migratory Flows “Immigration Management Strategies”, 28-29 September 2017, Siem Reap, Cambodia
• ASEM Roundtable on Migration Issues, 1 April 2016, Moscow, Russia
• 13th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows “Migration Management Strategies”, 5-6 October 2015, Singapore
• 12th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 9-10 October 2013, Tokyo, Japan
• 11th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 30–31 October 2012, Nicosia, Cyprus
• Seventh Interfaith Dialogue of the Asia-Europe Meeting “Harnessing the Benefits and Addressing the Challenges of Migration through Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue” (ASEM-IFD7), 13-14 October 2011, Manila, Philippines
• 10th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 5-7 September 2011, Mongolia
• 9th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 21-23 November 2010, Belgium
• 8th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 1-2 December 2009, Goa, India
• 7th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 17-18 November 2008, Paris, France
• 6th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 19-26 November 2007, Seoul, South Korea
• 5th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 11-12 December 2006, Kuopio, Finland
• 4th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 05-08 December 2005, Bali, Indonesia
• 3rd ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 25-26 November 2004, The Hague, Netherlands
• 2nd ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 12 November 2004, Beijing, China
• 1st ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows, 10-12 March 2003, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 1st ASEM Ministerial Conference on Cooperation for the Management of Migratory Flows between Europe and Asia, 04-05 April 2002, Lanzarote, Spain

Documents

• Declaration of the ASEM Ministerial Conference on Cooperation for the Management of Migratory Flows between Europe and Asia 2002
• The Manila Statement on ASEM Interfaith Dialogue on Migration 2011
• 13th ASEM Conference of the Directors-General of Immigration and Management of Migratory Flows - Chairs' Statement 2015
• A Triple Win in Migration: Ensuring Migrant Workers’ Rights to Protect All Workers
• Migration and Healthcare in ASEM countries
• Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) — A statistical portrait — 2016 edition
• Social determinants of migrants' health across Asia and Europe 2012

Contact information

c/o Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
31 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Singapore 119595
T: +65 6874 9718 F: +65 6872 1206
admin@aseminfoboard.org

Website:  http://www.aseminfoboard.org