E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific

Asia has a disproportionate share of the world’s young, working-age population—which represents the most mobile cohort—with resulting major immigration flows to other regions, and increasing intraregional migration as demographic transitions occur at different levels within Asia. The research here focuses on how the labor-sending countries of the region, notably the Philippines and other Colombo Process countries, manage these migration flows and the recruitment process. It also examines other conditions affecting the region, including humanitarian protection challenges, climate migration, diaspora relations, and remittances.

Three migrant men wearing masks in Thailand
Reports

Mobility Shutdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Asia and the Pacific

Some of the strictest COVID-19 pandemic-era limits on human mobility occurred in the Asia Pacific region. Border closures started in East and Southeast Asia in early 2020 and quickly spread through the entire region, in some cases remaining in place for more than two years. This report examines the approaches countries took and reflects on the immense costs and benefits of using border measures to tackle public-health risks.

A woman in Nigeria smiles while using her mobile phone
Reports

Leaving No One Behind: Inclusive Fintech for Remittances

Remittances are a vital lifeline for migrants’ families around the world and an important source of revenue for many low- and middle-income countries, especially in times of crisis. As more people turn to digital financial technologies for these money transfers, this shift holds the potential to shake up the rigid remittance industry and boost development benefits. But it also brings new challenges, as this report explores.

Photo of returning Filipino migrant workers.
Articles

The Philippines’ Landmark Labor Export and Development Policy Enters the Next Generation

Fifty years after the birth of the Philippines' strategy to use emigration as a tool for development, the government is doubling down on labor migration. While deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) slumped during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the government and civil society pivoting to assist with return migration and reintegration for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, emigration has since rebounded, as this article details.

Recent Activity

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Policy Briefs
September 2014
Integrating Migration into the Post-2015 United Nations Development Agenda
By  Lars Johan Lönnback
coverthumb TCM Cities NatlPolicy
Reports
July 2014
Giving Cities and Regions a Voice in Immigration Policy: Can National Policies Meet Local Demand?
By  Madeleine Sumption
cover WHO book migration health workers
Books
May 2014
Migration of Health Workers: The WHO Code of Practice and the Global Economic Crisis
Marshallese watch a jepta dance competition
Articles
May 22, 2014
Marshall Islanders: Migration Patterns and Health-Care Challenges
By Michael R. Duke
EVENTPH 2014.5.8 A Discussion on the Global Forum on Migration and Development Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific2
Multimedia
May 8, 2014
A Discussion on the Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific
Thumb MPI IOM Brief 9 GFMD
Policy Briefs
May 2014
The Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific
By  Imelda Nicolas and Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza
EventPH 2014.03.20 Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration A New Paradigm
Multimedia
March 20, 2014
Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm
Cover IOM BriefNo8 ClimateChange 2014
Policy Briefs
March 2014
Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm
By  Rabab Fatima, Anita Jawadurovna Wadud and Sabira Coelho

Pages

Profile
August 9, 2011
Working Hard for the Money: Bangladesh Faces Challenges of Large-Scale Labor Migration

The realities of poverty, underemployment, and a large working-age population mean that international labor migration is an expected and necessary part of life for many Bangladeshi men and women. Nazli Kibria of Boston University explains the challenges and opportunities facing Bangladesh as the small nation struggles to balance the need for economic migration and its resulting remittances with the protection of its citizens abroad.

Profile
May 31, 2011
China: An Emerging Destination for Economic Migration

Ronald Skeldon of the University of Sussex maps out the past and present migration patterns of China — the source of tens of millions of migrants around the globe — and discusses the country's budding status as an immigrant-receiving nation.

Feature
October 27, 2010
For Love and Money: Second-generation Indian Americans 'Return' to India

Indian immigrants in the United States may not want their U.S.-born children to live and work in India, but some members of the second generation are 'returning' to their parents' homeland for economic and personal reasons, as Sonali Jain of Duke University explains.

Top Ten
December 1, 2009
The World Is Talking about Climate Change and Migration

Discussions about climate change and migration ramped up in 2009, in large part due to a number of conferences and reports surrounding the highly anticipated United Nations (UN) Climate Change conference in Copenhagen.

Top Ten
December 1, 2009
More Countries Entering into Post 9/11-Era Information-Sharing Agreements

Over the past year, long-standing discussions and negotiations have resulted in several new information-sharing initiatives that seek to boost security while facilitating travel for legitimate travelers.

Pages

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Recent Activity

Policy Briefs
September 2014

Integrating Migration into the Post-2015 United Nations Development Agenda

The Member States of the United Nations must negotiate a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) that will frame a new international development agenda to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that expire in 2015. This issue brief examines how migration can be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda, outlining proposed migration targets and elements for indicators within the SDGs.
Reports
July 2014

Giving Cities and Regions a Voice in Immigration Policy: Can National Policies Meet Local Demand?

Employer-sponsored immigration and subnational visa programs are the two major routes to channel new immigrant arrivals toward particular destinations where their labor is thought to be in high demand. This report assesses regional nomination programs in Australia and Canada, and the efficacy of employer-sponsored immigration in meeting the needs of cities and regions.

Books
May, 2014

Migration of Health Workers: The WHO Code of Practice and the Global Economic Crisis

This edited volume from the World Health Organization (WHO), which includes chapters written by MPI researchers, examines country-level responses to the international movement of health-care workers, both before and after adoption of the WHO’s Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.

Articles
May 22, 2014

Marshall Islanders: Migration Patterns and Health-Care Challenges

Approximately one-third of the population of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a series of islands and atolls in the Pacific, has relocated to the United States, with Hawaii, Guam, and Arkansas key destinations. Lack of economic and employment opportunities are among the leading factors that have prompted this migration. Access to education and health care, which are critically important for a population that has reduced life expectancy and significant negative health indicators, also represent key factors.

Audio
May 8, 2014

A Discussion on the Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific

Offering insights on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region today, this event launches an issue brief that explores Asia-Pacific priorities for the 2014 Global Forum on Migration and Development and examines ways the GMFD can be a results-oriented forum.

Policy Briefs
May 2014

The Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific

This issue brief explores the Asia-Pacific region's active engagement in the Global Forum on Migration and Development and suggests modes of collaboration between governments and other migration stakeholders on issues that are particularly relevant to the region.
Audio
March 20, 2014

Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm

This MPI event, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), discusses the critical issue of climate-related displacement in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the vulnerability of environmental migrants and how the international legal framework can better ensure their protection.

Policy Briefs
March 2014

Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm

This issue brief addresses the rights of migrants whose movement is induced by environmental degradation or climate change, particularly in the highly vulnerable Asia-Pacific region. The brief evaluates the current international legal framework, identifies gaps in the framework and its implementation, and reviews options available to the international community.

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