Situation Report on International Migration in East and South-East Asia
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Situation Report on International Migration in East and South-East Asia Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking Situation Report on International Migration in East and South-East Asia Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking International Organization for Migration Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific International Labour Organization Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS United Nations Development Programme United Nations Population Fund United Nations Children’s Fund United Nations Development Fund for Women Bangkok, 2008 The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the chapter authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations which are the members of the Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking. This publication follows the United Nations practice in references to countries. Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking The Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking was established in 2005, under the auspices of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) of the United Nations. The members of the Group includes sixteen regional offices of the United Nations agencies, programmes and relevant intergovernmental organizations in the Asia-Pacific region, namely, ESCAP, IOM, ILO, OCHA, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIAP, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNODC, UNDP, WHO and the World Bank. It is currently co-chaired by ESCAP and IOM. Publisher International Organization for Migration, Regional Office for Southeast Asia 18th Floor, Rajanakarn Building 183 South Sathorn Road Bangkok 10120, Thailand Tel: +66-2-343-9350 Fax: +66-2-286-0630 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.iom.int http://www.IOM-SEasia.org ISBN 978-92-9068-455-8 © 2008 International Organization for Migration, Regional Office for Southeast Asia All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover photos: Jonathan Perugia / IOM/ 2005 Angelo Jacinto/ IOM/ 2007 Thierry Falise/ IOM/ 2006 Foreword The international community is increasingly recognizing the interdependence between international migration and economic, demographic and social development processes. The United Nations convened the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in September 2006, during the Sixty-first Session of the General Assembly, focusing for the first time its full attention on the issue of international migration and development. Attended by representatives from more than 160 countries as well as relevant international and intergovernmental organizations, the Dialogue underscored the fact that international migration is an integral part of the development process, and that it can be a positive force for development if it is supported by the right set of policies. Furthermore, if national policies on migration are to be effective, they should be complemented by strengthened bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation in order to promote legal, safe and orderly migration and to reduce irregular migration. Subsequently, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 61/208 in which it welcomed such international cooperation and encouraged consideration of development dimensions in these processes. The same resolution also called upon United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes as well as other intergovernmental organizations to address the issue of international migration in a more coherent way within the broader context of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is in the spirit of this recommendation that the Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking has prepared this report on International Migration and Development in East and South-East Asia. The report covers migration dynamics in East and South-East Asia and is a collaborative effort by all the organizations that participate in the Regional Thematic Working Group, which is co-chaired by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the aim of which is to explore the complex inter-linkages between international migration and the process of economic, demographic and social development within the region. As such, it aspires to be a tool both for migration policy formulation in a comprehensive manner similar to, and consistent with the formulation of other development objectives, and for fostering understanding of social and cultural interaction. It is also hoped that the findings of this report will support public dialogue that will, in the long term, lead to a process of developing coherent and coordinated migration policies. The report suggests key areas in which there is scope for greater regional and subregional cooperation in improving the management of migration as well as for the enhancement of its positive impacts on the source and host countries and the migrants themselves. It is our hope, therefore, that this report will contribute to a wider regional discussion of the linkages between migration and development as well as strengthened national policy formulation and greater regional cooperation in addressing migration issues in East and South-East Asia. Noeleen Heyzer Irena Vojackova-Sollorano Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and Executive Secretary International Organization for Migration The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Preface East and South-East Asia, consisting of 16 countries*, has a population of approximately 2 billion. The region has a history of ancient trade routes and the countries in the region have, to this day, strong economic and cultural ties with each other as well as with countries outside the region. It is a home of 12 million international migrants who have contributed greatly to the economic prosperity of the region and to its cultural wealth. While international migration in the region has long been referred to as a migration for permanent settlement to the West, the cross-border movements of people within the region have risen with rapidity, much of them driven by the prospect for gainful employment. Although there has been a growing number of articles and publications on international migration in countries in East and South-East Asia, these often focus on selected issues of migration. It is difficult to find a single report that provides a comprehensive overview of the region and country reports that provide a concise analysis of the key national issues and how they are linked to other countries in the region. In addition, the dearth of reliable statistics on international migration hampers the exploration of the complex interlinkages between migration and development in the region. For these reasons, the Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking decided to prepare a regional report covering 16 countries in East and South-East Asia that would consolidate existing published information and data available from governments in the region on the migration trends in each country and with thematic chapters providing a more in-depth regional analysis of important issues. The report focuses on East and South-East Asia because the region witnesses a growing and significant scale migration both in regular and irregular manner over the past decades. The objectives of the report are: (1) To produce a report that will enhance the understanding of migration issues in East and South-East Asia and make policy recommendation on international migration in the region. (2) To assist policy makers and practitioners by making available a comprehensive reference material on international migration in the region. (3) To identify gaps in knowledge in the field of international migration in the region. The Regional Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking reports to the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) and consists of the following international and intergovernmental organizations based in Bangkok, Thailand: • Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (co-chair) • International Organization for Migration (co-chair) • International Labour Organization • Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS • Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs • Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights • United Nation’s Children’s Fund • United Nations Development Fund for Women • United Nations Development Programme • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization • United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees • United Nations Inter-Agency Project to Combat Trafficking in Women and Children in the Mekong Sub-Region • United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime • United Nations Population Fund • World Bank • World Health Organization The preparation for this report has benefited greatly from the cooperation of governments in the region who provided unpublished data on migration trends and many excellent studies on international migration in East and South-East Asia that have been published in recent years all of which are cited at the end of each country chapter. Many of the members