The total population of the Asia Pacific region stands at around 4.5 billion, which accounts for more than half of the world population. The region’s share in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) hit 42.6% in 2017 according to the Asian Development Bank. Labor force in the region is increasingly moving away from agriculture towards employment in industry and services. In addition, globalization and technological advancements have significantly boosted human mobility. This has triggered a wide range of global migration in the Asia Pacific region. The increase in migration can have a positive impact on economic growth and consumption by improving the local labor market and facilitating remittance, trade and investment between countries. Accordingly, there is a growing need to respond to safe migration in both sending, transit and destination countries.

Migration flows are often mixed, including: ‘economic’ migrants, stateless people, and victims of human trafficking as well as individuals fleeing instability, persecution or situations of armed conflict in their countries of origin. The rise of complex situations, often entailing loss of life, has underlined the need for international cooperation to tackle the challenges in a comprehensive manner.

In September 2016, the UN General Assembly convened to develop a comprehensive approach to issues involving migrants and refugees, underlining the importance of international cooperation on migration governance. A process of intergovernmental consultations and negotiations towards the development of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was set in motion and the process concluded on 10 December 2018 with the adoption of the Global Compact by the majority of UN Member States at an Intergovernmental Conference in Morocco, followed by formal endorsement by the UN General Assembly on 19 December. The Global Compact covers all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner, presenting a significant opportunity to improve the governance of migration, to address the challenges associated with today’s migration, to strengthen the contribution of migrants and migration to sustainable development.

CIFAL, in affiliation with UNITAR, has served as a knowledge hub and platform for promoting city-to-city cooperation. Through this approach, CIFAL directs its capacity building efforts towards local actors. This training aims at strengthening the role of concerned authorities and actors in the Asia-Pacific region for better migration governance, and the protection and reintegration of irregular migrants.