Asian consultation process for the UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development
16-17 August 2006; Bangkok, Thailand
MFA organized a regional consultation which brought together key migration and development organizations, NGOs, networks, advocates and civil society groups in Asia to develop a comprehensive engagement strategy to the UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (HLD) scheduled to be held on 14-15 September 2006 in New York, USA.
The consultation, held on 15-16 August 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand, was co-convened by the Asian Migrant Centre, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia), Coordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility (CARAM Asia), Focus on the Global South, Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW) and Mekong Migration Network (MMN).
The consultation provided a venue for Asian civil society groups to be updated on the status and progress in the HLD process particularly the Informal Interactive Hearings held on 12 July 2006 in New York. Common strategic agenda and plans relating to the HLD were identified and discussed. During the HLD in September, MFA, together with the Migrants Rights International will be organizing a parallel event where organizations promoting the rights of migrants coming from the global regions can come together to raise awareness on the HLD process, highlight key migration issues from a community perspective, and strategize collectively on how to achieve international recognition and enforcement of migrants’ human rights.
The consultation also led to the creation of the Asian Alliance on Migration, Development and Human Rights, a loose network which aims to bring about a more effective platform of advocacy in addressing the crosscutting issues of migration, development and human rights.
In the meeting, a joint statement was drafted which will be submitted to the HLD. The statement focused on the key principles of migration and development. It stressed the need to recognize the human rights and labour rights of migrant workers under the core human rights conventions such as the Migrant Workers Convention and other related instruments as well as the core labour standards and decent work framework.
The statement also emphasized that development must be centered on human rights and social justice and must not justify or result in the exploitation of migrants. Furthermore, it calls for the UN to engage all relevant stakeholders, including migrants, in any UN meeting organized to discuss migration.
Recommendations for the establishment of a permanent forum, in which there can be a structured, ongoing and inclusive debate on migrant issues, was also highlighted in the statement.
FULL STATEMENT
