Establishing a Regional Learning and Action Platform –a Knowledge Hub on Labour Migration in South Asia

Establishing a Regional Learning and Action Platform –a Knowledge Hub on Labour Migration in South Asia

Donor:  International Labour Organization (ILO)

Duration Period: October 2021 to July 2023 

Regional project lead and partners: International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), India; Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Sri Lanka; Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), Bangladesh Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM), Nepal and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan

Country Focal Person: Mr. Kashif Majeed Salik 

Country Team Members: Mr. Kashif Majeed Salik and Ms. Khansa Naeem 

Overall Objective: The overall objective of the project is to address knowledge gaps on labour migration in South Asia through the establishment of a regional learning and action platform – a South Asia Knowledge Hub.

Introduction:  The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) recognized the need for a comprehensive approach to human mobility and enhanced cooperation at the global level. At the adoption of the GCM, UN Member States also agreed to establish a Capacity Building Mechanism that will include a global knowledge platform that will help inform and support governments in the implementation of the GCM. Labour migration is one of the key pillars of the GCM and since the implementation of the GCM is at the national and regional levels first, it is important to conceptualize the development of a Knowledge Hub in South Asia. 

Governance of Labour Migration in South and South-East Asia (GOALS), a UN Joint Programme being implemented by ILO, IOM and UN Women with the support of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), will be working with academic institutions and think tanks in South Asia to address research and academic gaps on labour migration and decent work, linking learning to enhanced and informed policy dialogues and evidence-based decision making on labour migration governance. 

Under outcome three of the GOALS programme, a South Asia Knowledge Hub will be created to address knowledge gaps on labour migration in South Asia. The Hub will examine specific labour migration and mobility issues through a broader lens of decent work and the social, economic and political trends in the sub-region and beyond. Initially, it will establish links and collaborate with institutions, namely, Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Centre for the Study of Labour and Mobility (CESLAM), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), and Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS). 

The Knowledge Hub will create a space for governments, civil society, trade unions, private sector, academics and thinks tanks to engage with new research, so as to bring broader perspectives and empirical evidence to policy discussions. It will connect researchers and institutions from South Asia working on themes that touch upon labour and mobility and will link to the research agendas identified through state-led regional consultative processes including the Colombo Process, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue and possibly SAARC. 

Pictures: SALAM Lecture Series 2