17-19 May, 2004 - First Regional Hearing for Asia and the Pacific Region, Manila, Philippines
17-19 May, 2004 - First Regional Hearing for Asia and the Pacific Region, Manila, Philippines
Thursday
2nd September 2004 -
00:00
On 17 and 18 May 2004, the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM) organised its Regional Hearing for the Asia Pacific Region in Manila, Philippines, the first in a series of such consultations the Commission will hold in all regions throughout 2004 and 2005. The hearing’s purpose was to gain insight on migration issues of specific relevance to countries in the region. Its findings will contribute to the Commission’s Final Report that will be presented to the United Nations Secretary-General and other stakeholders in mid-summer 2005.
The Hearing was opened by the Hon. Alberto G. Romulo, Executive Secretary of the Office of the President, and the Hon. Patricia Sto Tomas, Secretary of the Department of Labour and Employment. It was closed by the Hon. Jose S. Brillantes, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs.
Some 160 people attended, including: senior and middle level officials from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam; representatives from Canada, European Commission, Holy See, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom as members of GCIM’s Core Group of States; and representatives from ADB, ILO, IOM, UNESCAP, UNIFEM, UNHCR, WHO, World Bank, regional think tanks and universities, NGOs, trade unions, employer associations, the private sector, and the media.
Participants were invited to share their perspectives with the Commission Members present for the hearing. Discussions took place in working panels and in plenary, covering six topics:
Migrants in the Labour Market
Migration, Economic Growth, Development and Poverty Reduction
Irregular Migration
Migration and Human Rights
Migrants in Society
National, Regional and International Governance
The meeting allowed for inter-active exchange between different stakeholders groups and members of the Commission, and fully achieved its principal objective for the Commission to receive comprehensive information on migration and related issues in the region. A public report on the meeting is in preparation. The next Regional Hearing will be held in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, in September 2004, followed by a pan-European meeting planned for November 2004.
On Wednesday 19 May, in Manila, the Commission met on its own to pursue its deliberations which had started in Stockholm in February 2004.
