Thailand - Migrants from countries across Asia and the Pacific play a key role as development actors, helping drive GDP growth in their countries of destination, while also supporting families and communities in their countries of origin. But the benefits of migration remain under-acknowledged, according to a new UN / IOM report.

The Asia-Pacific Migration Report 2015: Migrants’ Contributions to Development, was launched in Bangkok yesterday (29/2) by UNESCAP Deputy Executive Secretary Hongjoo Hahm, on behalf of the Asia-Pacific RCM Thematic Working Group on International Migration, which includes IOM and 15 UN agencies.  

Drawing on evidence gathered from across the region, the report finds that over 95 million people from Asia and Pacific countries live outside their countries of birth, and that the region hosts over 59 million migrants. While there are many reasons to migrate, the majority of these migrants leave to find work, usually on a temporary basis.

The Asia-Pacific region also hosts over 5.5 million refugees, and three of the main refugee-hosting countries in the world are in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report confirms that many migrant workers not only benefit from their migration, but also contribute to the development of their countries of origin and destination through their work and the remittances they send home. However, they also face hardships and abuse, and action needs to be taken to maximize the benefits by ensuring that migration is orderly, safe, regular and responsible.

Too often, prejudice against migration and unilateral approaches guide responses to migration challenges. Thus, rather than making migration policies that are aligned with national development priorities and promote conditions of dignity and respect for the rights of migrant workers, many countries place restrictions not only on the entry of migrants into the country, but also on their rights and their ability to access social protection.

Launching the report at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Thailand, Hahm emphasized that the scale of migration is only likely to increase in Asia and the Pacific and the outcome of this trend is in the hands of the countries of the region.

“Business-as-usual risks heightening inequality, holding back advances in productivity, and facilitating human rights abuses,” he said. “Positive outcomes require policies aligned with national development strategies and international standards promoting fair recruitment, decent and productive employment and social protection.”

Dr. Nenette Motus, IOM’s Regional Director a.i. for Asia and the Pacific, said: “Building strong cross-sectoral partnerships within countries and across the region is critical. We need a whole of government approach and strengthened public private partnerships, as well as actively engaging with civil society organizations, migrants associations, transnational communities and most importantly, migrants themselves.”

ILO Senior Migration Specialist Nilim Baruah said: “Migration is a key feature of today’s world of work and raises complex policy challenges. Fair migration means creating instruments of governance which result in a fair sharing of prosperity that migrants themselves help to create.”

The report provides guidance on the steps that countries, regional organizations, civil society actors and others can take to improve positive impacts, notably through securing the rights of migrants and ensuring their access to social protection and decent work, both through national policies and multilateral dialogue and cooperation.

The Asia-Pacific Migration Report 2015: Migrants’ Contributions to Development is the result of a collaborative effort of the members of the Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration, including Human Trafficking, namely UNESCAP, IOM, ILO, OCHA, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UN-ACT, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, UN Women, WHO and the World Bank. The group is currently co-chaired by ESCAP and IOM.

The full report is available for download. For more information please contact Joe Lowry at IOM’s Asia-Pacific regional office in Bangkok, Email: jlowry@iom.int - Tel: +66818708081.