ABSTRACT
Labour migration is not a new phenomenon in Asia. Yet it is a challenging issue characterized by three main dimensions. First, Asian labour migration has lately increased in density and complexity. Second, there are adverse effects on migrants’ human security as well as national socioeconomic and political security in both source, transit, and destination countries. Third, there are major management drawbacks to aggravate those problems. This chapter focuses on the role of regional arrangements to deal with these challenges of labour migration in Asia. It highlights the importance of the Bangkok Declaration on Irregular Migration and other regional processes for the possibility to arrive at win-win solutions in Asia. While mainly emphasizing the so called APC consultations, the Manila Process and the Bali Process, an analysis of also other regional and subregional initiatives is provided. The aim is to evaluate the robustness and effectiveness of the regional arrangements in terms of outcomes, impacts, and shortcomings. A number of recommendations for further proactive arrangements are also provided.
