“International Expert Seminar on Migration and Development in Korea and Asia: Current Status, Issues, and Possibilities”

Jeju, Republic of Korea, 12-13 December 2014 (Fri-Sat)

Event Background and Introduction

International migration is growing in scale and the types of migrations are diversifying. International migration brings social, economic, and political changes to the sending, transit, and receiving countries. In line with that, discussions about the development effect of international migration on migrants, families, and societies have greatly increased in recent years.

Discussion on Migration-Development has been actively on the scene since the mid-2000s. In the midst of the efforts to set Post-2015 development goals and agendas, theoretical and political debates on how to link migration to development heated up among international organizations and experts.

Asia is important in the international migration and development issues. Asia has major sending and receiving countries, and the influence of international migration is ever increasing in the region. For example, China, India, and the ten ASEAN member countries, all having a great potential for development, are located in Asia. International cooperation between sending and receiving countries in the region is becoming more and more important to maximize the positive effect of migration.

Korea has a unique experience in both migration and development. In the 1970s-1980s, Korea was a labour-sending as well as a development assistance-receiving country. Yet, since 1990s, Korea has turned to a donor country. Today, about eighty percent of foreigners living in Korea are migrants from developing countries in Asia. In this context, there is a growing demand that Korea should take a more active role in advancing and developing the migration and development issues and agenda in the region.

Event Type
Seminar

Date
12-13 December 2014

Venue
CIFAL Jeju/Jeju International Training Center (JITC),
Seogwipo City, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Republic of Korea

Organizer
? CIFAL Jeju (www.cifaljeju.org) in coordination with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

? Seoul National University Asia Center (SNUAC)(http://http://snuac.snu.ac.kr/)

? IOM Migration Research & Training Centre (IOM-MRTC)(http://http://www.iom-mrtc.org/main/main.php)

Event Objectives
his international seminar aims to:
? Provide a platform to exchange in-depth knowledge about migration and development
? Strengthen government’s capacities to better address migration related challenges through discussion with experts from Korea and abroad
? Set up a venue for building networks among the migration experts in Asia-Pacific region

Content:
The Seminar contents are as follows:
1) Debate on ‘Post 2015 development agenda’ inclduing the efforts and achievements for ‘mainstreaming migration into development planning’: IOM Speaker
2) Migration-Development policy in ASEAN: ASEAN Speaker
3) Discussion on Migration-Development in Korea: Current status, issues and possibilities
4) Discussion on various topics related to Migration-Development: Diaspora and development, international migration from development discourse, developing home country through the migrant’s return and social reintegration, etc.
5) Migration-Development policy in Korean government: Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Office for Government Policy Coordination etc.

Structure
The seminar co-organized by UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/JITC, Seoul National University Asia Center, IOM Migration Research & Training Centre will invite 17-20 experts from Korea and abroad. The main participants are from international organizations, government offices, NGOs, and academia. The seminar is open to the general public.

The seminar has the following three main pillars:
I. Global, Asian, and Korean Trends in Migration-Development
II. History, Discourse, and Cooperation Strategy in Migration-Development
III. Migration-Development Policy in Korea

Targeted Audience
International organizations, academic institutions, Korean national governments who are involved in the Migration and Development sector in the Asia-Pacific region.