New migrations in the Asia-Pacific region: a force for social and political change

A rapid increase in international migration is a central aspect of the social transformations currently taking place in the Asia-Pacific region. Population movements take many forms, including permanent migration, temporary labour migration, mobility of highly skilled personnel, refugee movements and family reunion. Destinations include North America, the Gulf oil states and - increasingly - the fast-growing 'tiger economies' of Asia. Much of the migration is undocumented and a growing proportion of the migrants are women. So far, researchers and policy-makers have concentrated on short-term economic and regulatory aspects. But migration is likely to be a major factor bringing about social and political change in the region. The social networks which develop as part of the migratory process often make official migration control policies difficult to implement. Unplanned settlement is taking place, with important consequences for both sending and receiving societies. Scholars from a number of countries in the region have therefore established an Asia Pacific Migration Research Network to study these issues, to raise public awareness and to provide advice to policymakers. The article describes the aims and development of this Network, which is part of the UNESCO Management of Social Transformations Programme.