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In addition to various bilateral arrangements there are also a number of regional and sub-regional agreements on various aspects of migration.
Regional agreements on migration typically involve a series of meetings that allow participants to share experiences and develop relationships and a common understanding of mutual problems.
One example is the Bali Process. This was initiated at the Regional Ministerial Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime held in Bali in 2002. Now it has over 50 participant countries as well as many international agencies and is co-chaired by the governments of Indonesia and Australia.
Other agreements include the Bangkok Declaration on Irregular Migration, the Asian Regional Initiative Against Trafficking in Women and Children (ARIAT) and the Manila Process — a series of regional seminars organized by IOM on irregular migration and migrant trafficking.
What the ILO can offer
ILO has been a key player in these and other regional processes. It has also organized a number of round tables at which countries of origin and destination have been able to discuss issues of common interest. In addition we work with other regional institutions to encourage them to accept and integrate the ILO’s Multilateral Framework on Migration into their own programmes.
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A recent ILO proposal is to establish a regular 'ASEAN Forum on Labour Migration'. The Forum would have a number of objectives:
- • Deepen understanding of the role of cross-border movements of workers in enhancing the flexibility and dynamism of the region’s economies and societies
- • Build trust and confidence through dialogues on emerging problems and issues,
- • Help national authorities anticipate future challenges by considering what demographic trends and current economic and political developments suggest about the likely impact on migration pressures.
• Enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation for effective governance of labour markets and migration.
The Forum, which might be lodged in an existing national or regional institute, could be an annual activity under the auspices of the ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Conference.
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