Labor Migration Management

The Regional Conference on Labor Migration Management in the Process of Regional Integration, sponsored by ADBI, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Chulalongkorn University, took place at the IOM Regional Office for Southeast Asia in Bangkok from 27 to 30 May 2008. Thirty-three senior government delegates and speakers from Asia and the Pacific took part in the four-day event to discuss regional and sub-regional trends and issues in labor migration management.

The conference was divided into five sessions. The first session provided an overview of labor migration and its impact on the global economy. The second session demonstrated the link between labor migration management and regional economic integration. Labor migration policies and other issues in labor-sending and labor-receiving countries were also discussed. The third session illustrated the social dimensions of labor migration from human rights, irregular migration, and public health to brain drain and brain gain issues. The final session focused on how countries can maximize the development aspects of labor migration; the session included presentations on the role of remittances in poverty reduction and potential policies for regional technical accreditation among Asian countries. The participants also had an opportunity to learn from each other through country presentations that outlined national labor migration experiences and challenges, as well as policy responses. In an effort to encourage multilateral thinking and collaborative approaches to migration management, participants were separated into four sub-regional groupings to examine common challenges and identify policies and mechanisms to address these challenges. The participants noted the need for closer collaboration on migration policies and management to more equally distribute the benefits of labor migration management in the context of regional integration.

Read a more detailed summary of the conference.

Viet Nam: Where Is It Heading ?

Experts from the region gathered at ADBI on 29 July 2008 to assess Viet Nam’s most recent macroeconomic condition. The discussion focused on key questions including: Is Viet Nam headed for a currency crisis? What lessons could countries that experienced a crisis in 1997–1998 offer to Viet Nam?