On 8-9 November 2013, 25 Asian and European experts gathered at the picturesque Ecumenical Institute at Château de Bossey, outside of Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss pertinent labour migration issues for Asia and Europe.
The workshop brought together experts from international and regional organisations, academic institutions, trade unions, and the private sector. Discussions focussed on the impact of migration policies on socio-economic welfare of migrant workers and to look at ways to improve migration policies in sending and receiving countries.
The focus of the workshop was on 3 specific issues: essential policies in support of fair and equitable migration systems, reducing migration risks and providing migrants access to social protection, and the integration of migrants. These issues were identified through a specially commissioned background paper, by Mr Manolo ABELLA, Senior Research Associate at COMPAS, and Mr August GACHTER, Project Manager at the Centre for Social Innovation in Vienna.
The workshop is part of the 2-year Asia-Europe Migration project, which is co-organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia. The policy recommendations from the workshop will be featured in a publication and shared with ASEM governments in 2014.