Migrants are a critical factor in Asia-Pacific countries’ development: UN report
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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 migratio
Drawing on evidence gathered from across the region, the "Asia-Pacific Migration Report 2015: Migrants’ Contributions to Development" finds that over 95 million people from Asia and Pacific countries lived outside their countries of birth, and that the region hosted over 59 million migrants. While there are many reasons to migrate, the majority of these migrants are temporary migrant workers. 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.
“Business-as-usual risks heightening inequality, holding back advances in productivity, and facilitating human rights abuses,” said Hongjoo Hahm, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on behalf of the Asia-Pacific RCM Thematic Working Group on International Migration, including human trafficking, which includes 15 members from the United Nations system and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
“Positive outcomes require policies aligned with national development strategies and international standards promoting fair recruitment, decent and productive employment and social protection.”
