International migration is an important feature of economies and societies of North and Central Asia. In 2020, there were almost 18 million international migrants residing in North and Central Asia, and over 21 million migrants from the subregion were residing outside their countries of birth.
Remittances are a crucial source of income to many countries in North and Central Asia, making some of them among the most remittance-dependent countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. In 2022, remittances accounted for 50.9 per cent of GDP in Tajikistan, 29.5 per cent in Uzbekistan, and 20.8 per cent in Kyrgyzstan.
Nearly half of all migrants from North and Central Asia are women. Many women migrate directly to work abroad, while others migrate as family members. Migrant women often take up more vulnerable jobs such as domestic work. The gender implications of migration are manyfold and need further study.
In 2018, United Nations Member States adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) which recognized that safe, orderly and regular migration works for all when it takes place in a well-informed, planned and consensual manner. The GCM echoes the call of the 2030 Agenda for data, monitoring and accountability and for strengthening the means of implementation and revitalization of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development (SDG17).
In follow-up to the first Asia-Pacific Regional Review of the Global Compat in 2021, ESCAP is implementing a project on “Strengthening national capacities for evidence-based policymaking to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in North and Central Asia”.
In this context, an expert group meeting cum capacity-building workshop will be held for the following purposes:
-
Discuss research papers on migration in North and Central Asia, particularly gender aspects of migration, remittances and their costs;
-
Provide capacity-building on migration data collection methodologies; and
-
Facilitate policy dialogues on migration in North and Central Asia among Governments and migration experts.
This meeting is a follow up to the expert group meeting and capacity-building workshop: strengthening national capacities for evidence-based policymaking to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in North and Central Asia, held on 18 and 19 April 2023 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
