Conferences

FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Migrations, Economic Changes and Multiculturalism in Asia Pacific Countries held at the Richmonde Hotel, Manila 19th - 21st March, 2001

Report on the Fourth International Conference and Business Meeting of the Asia Pacific Migration Research Network (APMRN) Richmonde Hotel, Manila, 19-21 March, 2001 (Compiled by Richard Bedford, Robyn Iredale and Charles Hawksley)

INTRODUCTION

The 4th International APMRN Conference in Manila marked a significant development in the work of the network. It was the first conference where there was clear evidence that the network's activities were shifting from network-building and primary research to active engagement with major policy debates linked to processes of population movement and the development of multicultural societies. It was also the first time at an APMRN conference where initial findings of three major collaborative comparative research projects were presented, each of which involves several countries in the network. Participants from UNESCO's social sciences secretariats in Paris and Bangkok considered the conference to be a very successful one in the light of their expectations for a UNESCO-MOST sponsored network.

The APMRN business meeting discussed a number of issues concerning the structure of the network, its expansion and the location of the next conference and it was agreed that the network's Fifth International Conference will be held in Fiji in September 2002. This will be the first time the APMRN has held a conference in the Pacific. The Chairperson of the APMRN for the next two years is Professor Vijay Naidu of the University of the South Pacific and there will be four people with the role of Deputy Chair. The Aotearoa/New Zealand Migration Network (A/NZMRN) will assist Professor Naidu to organise the 5th APMRN conference, and it was agreed that Auckland would be a fall-back location for the meeting if tensions in Fiji make it undesirable to hold the meeting there.

The rest of this report deals in greater details with selected aspects of the Manila Conference and associated APMRN Business Meeting.

1. THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL APMRN CONFERENCE

Representatives of most of the 14 regional research networks were present at the Manila conference which was held over three days (19-21 March). This was followed by a one-day national workshop organised by the Philippines Migration Research Network (PMRN) held at the Philippine Social Science Center in Diliman.

Short reports from all networks on their activities since the last international conference in Japan (September 1999) were compiled as a booklet and distributed, together with the APMRN Secretariat Report. The result was an indication of the astonishing diversity of research in the regional networks and by individual members which gave all attending a good indication of how far the network has progressed beyond the building stage.

All country delegates presented papers that addressed the four themes identified for the conference, namely:

• The magnitude, trends and patterns of migration and settlement in countries of the Asia Pacific region and the national and international factors that are associated with such trends;
  
• The implications of increased international migration on the nation-state system especially in the light of the growth of global markets and of the trends toward regional integration;
  
• The role and place of ethnic minorities in society and the problems associated with multiculturalism; and
  
• Policy strategies aimed at addressing concerns arising from migration and ethnic diversity in the Asia-Pacific region.

The papers were collated and prepared by the Philippine Social Science Council, and were bound and distributed before the beginning of the conference. This was the first time that such an achievement has been possible and thanks are due to the staff of the PSSC who worked tirelessly to get the papers together, and to regional coordinators for submitting their papers on time. Oral reports were presented on the preliminary findings of the three Ford Foundation projects that are currently operating: female migration in the age of globalisation in South East Asia (China, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, based in Bangkok); return migration and development (Australia, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan (unofficial member) and Vietnam, based in Wollongong); and irregular migration (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, based in Manila).

Representatives of UNESCO's Paris and Bangkok social sciences secretariats also made presentations, as did representatives of the Philippines Congress, Department of Labour and Social Sciences Council. The quality of the presentations was high, as was the level of discussion. Intellectually it was the most stimulating APMRN conference to date, and both Nadia Auriat (UNESCO Paris) and Malama Meleisea (UNESCO Bangkok) considered it to be a very successful meeting in so far as their expectations for the MOST programme are concerned.

2. THE APMRN BUSINESS MEETING

Due to time considerations the APMRN business meeting was split into two parts, the first of which was held on Monday afternoon 19th March and the second on Wednesday 21st from mid day to 1:45 pm. Taken together the main outcomes of the APMRN Business Meeting were:

A. Appointment of officers. Prior to the conference it was agreed that the position of APMRN Chair be rotated during each conference cycle. Accordingly at this meeting Professor Supang Chantavanich, who had chaired the APMRN for four years, handed over as APMRN Chair to Professor Vijay Naidu who had previously been Deputy Chair since 1999. The number of Deputy Chairs has been increased so that each geographic region has one representative. For the period 2001-2002 the following officers were appointed:

Chairperson of the APMRN:
Professor Vijay Naidu (Fiji)

Deputy Chairpersons:

• Pacific sub-region Ð Professor Paul Spoonley (NZ)
  
• SE Asia sub-region Ð nominee of PMRN (Philippines)
  
• NE Asia sub-region Ð Dr Huang Ping (PRC)
  
• Sth Asia sub-region Ð to be appointed (see below).

The APMRN Secretariat will remain at the University of Wollongong headed by Associate Professor Robyn Iredale with Mr Charles Hawksley as the coordinator. UNESCO (Paris) has agreed to support the operating costs of the APMRN Secretariat during 2001 with a grant of US$30,000.

B. Composition of the network. It was agreed to extend the network to encompass some countries in South Asia, specifically India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The South Asia connection was always planned for the APMRN, but it had been delayed until networks and international collaboration with policy-oriented research were established in SE and NE Asia. The APMRN Secretariat in Wollongong will oversee initiation of networks in these countries and arrange for their participation in the Fifth International APMRN Conference in Fiji.

C. The Fifth International APMRN Conference. It was agreed unanimously that the Fifth International Conference should be held in September, 2002, in the Pacific Islands. Notwithstanding the current political tensions, Fiji is the obvious choice given the role Professor Naidu has played in the APMRN since its inception, his current position as Chairperson of the network, and his role in developing an embryonic Pacific Migration Research Network (PacMRN). Given the difficulties of travelling in and out of the Pacific from a number of Asian countries it was agreed that a logical fallback location for the conference, should events in Fiji require this, would be Auckland with its large Pacific and Asian communities. Financial support for the Fifth International Conference, whether in Fiji or New Zealand, would be required from UNESCO's Participation Programme, and an appropriate regional request would be organised for the PP round for the next biennium.

D. APMRN Secretariat. The APMRN secretariat presented a detailed report on the operation of the network and its publication programme. A major initiative taken by the Secretariat has been to find a publisher for a book on "Migration in the Asia Pacific" highlighting key findings and network research. The book will be published by Edward Elgar Publishing in 2002, and hopefully be launched at the Fiji conference. The established Newsletter and Working Paper series continue to be published regularly.

E. Links with the International Metropolis Project. The APMRN is strengthening its links with the Metropolis Project, a North American-European research and policy network focusing on migration and city development. The APMRN has offered to convene a workshop at the Sixth International Metropolis Conference in Rotterdam in November 2001. The APMRN Secretariat is also prepared to host a meeting of the Metropolis International Steering Committee in Sydney in February/March 2002 in association with the next meeting of the Australian Migration Research Network (AMRN).

F. Operation of Networks. A decision was made to retain Hong Kong as a separate network due to its importance as a hub of migrant movement. The APMRN Secretariat has received suggestions for a new coordinator for Hong Kong whom they will approach shortly. Diana Wong has suggested some names to the Secretariat for a new coordinator for Malaysia.

G. Nadia Auriat (UNESCO-MOST Paris) raised the point that it was very important for the existing UNESCO Participation Projects (PPs) to be finished and sent to the UNESCO offices in each participating country. To date, two of the five UNESCO PPS have been finished. New proposals for 2001 were being considered by UNESCO in November/December of 2000. While APMRN members did not bid for 2001 funding cycle, in order to gain PPS in the future it is vital that those who have in the past secured PP funding send their completed reports both to the APMRN Secretariat and to the UNESCO office for each participating country. The APMRN Secretariat will put these reports on the APMRN website when they are completed.

H. The Secretariat will contact members to put together a Table of Research which will provide both UNESCO-MOST and APMRN members with an overview of the extent and diversity of research being conducted in the network. The Secretariat will gather and collate this information and coordinators were requested to reply promptly when they receive requests for assistance from the Secretariat.

I. Due to the large cost associated with staging a conference, and the proposed expansion of the network, those coordinators from developed countries who are able to cover their own costs were requested in the future to do so.

J. Ford Foundation Emergency funds. There are still funds available for three projects under the Ford Foundation emergency funds budget. Members are encouraged to apply before the end of April as these projects must be completed by 2002. There is no set definition of "emergency" but examples would include general humanitarian crises, forced migrations, and ethnic tensions that have led to worsening violence.

K. The business meeting was briefed on the UNESCO/University of Wollongong funded pilot project on the existing and possible impacts of migration research on public policy. Case studies will be conducted in Thailand, the Philippines and Australia. The APMRN networks in each country are being used as a starting point for the development of questionnaires which will attempt to gauge the current emphasis placed on migration research by policy makers and the potential for such research to influence policy decisions in the future.

L. Future Research projects Ð 2001 onwards. A number of proposals for collaborative research were discussed the particulars of which are noted below.

1. Migration and Health

Proposed by Fei Guo and Robyn Iredale, CAPSTRANS, Wollongong Notes were circulated on a project that would include the migration of women and children and the health impacts. A similar project has already been conducted in Shanghai and we would modify this approach to use elsewhere. Discussions are also underway with Save the Children Fund (China) to try to link in with what they are doing. The anticipated outcome would be training programs or a health or other service centre. The following people expressed an interest in participating in this project:

• Fei Guo and Huang Ping for China
  
• Anh Dang for Vietnam
  
• Yuko-Ohara Hirano for Japan
  
• Hyekyung Lee for South Korea
  
• Samoa/Tonga (suggested by someone else)

Action:
1. It was agreed that interested participants would draft a 1-2 page background document for their country and forward it to Fei (by end of April);
2. Fei and Robyn will finalise the proposal and seek funding (Wellcome Trust).

2. Migration, Gender and Governance

Proposed by Keiko Yamanaka, UC, Berkeley

Migration, Gender and Governance in the Asia Pacific would examine the modes of entry into civil society by migrant women with a concentration on gendered experience and a comparative perspective. Keiko presented an idea for a theoretical book on female migration in the Asia-Pacific region. The idea is to conduct a number of workshops of interested people to discuss the concepts and theoretical underpinnings and to publish a book. No new empirical work will be undertaken. The following people expressed an interest in participating in this project, or were suggested to be contacted:

• Maruja Asis (the Philippines);
  
• Nicole Constable (China and the Philippines, to be contacted);
  
• Robyn Iredale (Director of the APMRN);
  
• Lisa Law (Hong Kong, needs to be contacted);
  
• Hyekyung Lee (South Korea);
  
• Mirjana Morokvasic (European Union, needs to be contacted);
  
• Nicola Piper (editor);
  
• Diana Wong (Malaysia);
  
• Keiko Yamanaka (Japan and US, editor, possibly collaborate with Chiho Ogaya);
  
• Brenda Yeoh (Singapore),
  
• and others.

Action:
1. It was agreed that Keiko (and Nicola) would draft a 1-2 page proposal and forward it to Robyn for comment (by end of May);
2. Keiko and Nicola would seek funding and carry responsibility for the project.

3. Migration between China and Japan

Proposed by Huang Ping and Professor Kenichiro Hirano

The various migration streams between China and Japan will be the subject of this project. They include labour flows, student movements, return migration of skilled workers and other components.

Action:
1. It was decided that Profs. Huang and Hirano would draft a proposal and forward it to Robyn for comment (by end of May?);
2. They would seek funding and carry responsibility for the project.

4. Education and Migration

Proposed by Diana Wong

The relationships between migration and education operate in a number of directions. First, education has a strong correlation with migration in two ways: people move to gain an education (usually high school or tertiary) or once they are educated they seek upward mobility and work elsewhere. On the other hand, migration away from one's place of residence may mean the end of education for some children. They drop out of school in order to go off and earn an income or they move with their families as part of a household strategy for survival. In the destination they may enter the workforce or they may be denied access to education as a result of state policies. The following people expressed an interest in participating in this project:

• Dang Anh (Vietnam)
  
• Huang Ping ? (China)
  
• members from the South Pacific

Action:
1. It was agreed that Robyn and Fei would draft a proposal and forward it for comment to other interested parties (by end of June);
2. Robyn and Fei seek funding and carry responsibility for the project.

5. Exploring civil society options for migrant communities

Proposed by Robyn Iredale

Mechanisms for ensuring and/or protecting the rights and needs of migrants are often inadequate. The diversity of needs and of contexts means that different types of migrant groups and their advocates develop different mechanisms for trying to ensure that they live with dignity and relative safety. The aim would be to explore different mechanisms and present a range of options that have emerged to deal with the migration phenomenon. The following people expressed an interest in participating in this project:

• Robyn Rodriguez, Ateneo de Manila University
  
• Pauline Gardiner Barber, Dalhousie Uni, Halifax, Canada
  
• Paul Spoonley, New Zealand
  
• Mamoru Tsuda, Philippines
  
• Robyn Iredale

Action:
1. It is suggested that someone in the APMRN offer to draft a proposal and forward it to Robyn Iredale for comment (by end of May);
2. Robyn Iredale would assist the coordinator with finding funding.

6. Key Relationships between Poverty and Migration

Given the increasing problems with traditional categorisation of countries as "sending", "receiving" or "permanent settlement" the Fiji conference will be exploring a number of themes around which we may build network reports. One suggestion is the relationship between Migration and Poverty Ñ which would tie in well with the stated objectives of the MOST Programme of UNESCO, is a key theme of current human rights, peace and development discourses and of international organisations.

Richard Bedford noted that while human movement has historically been more common than not, issues of poverty are combined with limiting the movement of people and often give rise to social and political tensions. The relationships between migration and poverty are multifaceted and multidirectional. Each country has different patterns and we need to begin to understand these in order to identify key issues in order to alleviate poverty. The idea is to do a survey of the literature in each country and of previous research and to identify the major relationships. For example, How does poverty impact on migration? Who moves and why? What are the impacts of out-migration on particular areas? Does out-migration lead to poverty or does it help to alleviate it? Is poverty a consequence of migration in the areas of destination?

Action:
1. It was agreed that each coordinator would write, or would ask someone else to write, a background paper on the key relationships in their region.
2. The papers are to be 4-5,000 words in length and are to be forwarded to the Secretariat by the end of July.
3. The papers will be published as an APMRN Working Paper and will be used to highlight specific topics that can be pursued in later research proposals or conference papers.

7. Development Displacement

Proposed by Chris McDowell and Robyn Iredale

A small amount of money has been received to commence a project in Thailand on the displacement effect of a large dam. Chris and Robyn are looking for possible other instances where development (dams, highways, forestry, etc) has led to the forced movement of communities. They will using a framework for analysing the impacts which is comprehensive and very innovative.

Action:
1. Please notify Robyn if you are interested in collaborating by examining a case study from your country/region
2. Please provide 1-2 pages on the forced movement (reasons, outcomes, policies, etc) for incorporation in a bigger proposal (by end of May).
3. Chris and Robyn will develop a proposal for submission for funding.

Other comments, possible ideas for projects and discussion:

Malama Meleisea (UNESCO-PROAP Bangkok) suggested a study of cultural intolerance and violence in migration.

Stephen Castles (Refugee Study Centre, University of Oxford) suggested that the APMRN examine issues of forced migration, with either refugees or development displacement, and he would be happy to collaborate with the APMRN in East Asia on these proposals.

Maruja (Marla) Asis (Scalabrini Migration Center) commented that migration is developing its own terminology and language in many regions and that a linguistic project could be done to collect common words that describe migrants and aspects of their experiences. This could be adapted into a handbook for use by potential migrants.

Huang Ping suggested that in the development of projects the APMRN should not be too ambitious and that the interests of governments and migrants may not necessarily correlate. For example, Ping stated in China there was little interest in health care so a project on health care in China would be unlikely to gain much support from the government. Ping proposed that a project on the relative poor (a term utilised by the world Bank report "Voices of the Poor" to describe the phenomenon of perceived deprivation) be organised which could involve China, Japan and Korea. Ping was willing to coordinate this project.

3. FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

The APMRN has an ambitious research agenda. Existing collaborative research on irregular migration, return migration of skilled personnel, regional contract labour migration systems, the dynamics of transnational communities, the blurring of boundaries between different forms of internal and international migration, and the environmental impacts of migration will continue for at least another two years.

Over the next two years attention will also be given to the complex relationships between migration (both forced and voluntary) and poverty. The links with refugee and undocumented migration are especially significant here, and the network is likely to develop a stronger profile in this area. Such a direction of research endeavour is in line with UNESCO's decision to address issues of poverty more directly in all of its major programmes in the next Medium Term Strategy and the 31C/5.