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APMRN Update Newsletter of the Asia Pacific Migration Research Network - No. 4, 1997

Japan Foundation Sponsors APMRN Workshops The APMRN Secretariat was recently awarded a grant totalling US$22,574 from the Japan Foundation for a series of migration workshops in China and Indonesia. In consultation with the Indonesian and Chinese Networks, the Secretariat submitted a proposal in November 1996 to the Japan Foundation Asia Centre to fund four workshops in each of the countries. The workshops will be held in the latter half of 1997 and will bring together migration researchers and officials to identify key issues and develop priorities for research. One output of the workshops will be the development of a national bibliographic database on migration literature which is expected to be published by mid-1998. The grant money covers domestic travel arrangements for the workshop coordinator, wages for support staff, workshop materials and publication costs. Dr. Huang Ping from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences will be coordinating the China workshops, and Dr. Agus Dwiyanto from the University of Gadjah Mada will coordinate the Indonesia workshops.   APMRN Coordinating Committee Meeting The Coordinating Committee of the APMRN met in Manila on the 7th of February this year to discuss Network planning. Working Party and Research Group coordinators, the Secretariat and the Chair of the Network considered various initiatives of the APMRN and evaluated its overall activity. Funding was a key theme of the meeting. A number of funding proposals had already been submitted from the APMRN Secretariat and from individual country teams. The Committee agreed that more approaches to donor agencies should be developed. The Coordinating Committee compiled a list of tasks for the Network to continue building the APMRN base, including development of a training and education questionnaire for all Network members; compiling a list of appropriate donor agencies; developing an expert symposium on Asian migration; and the need for common themes to be drawn together from each of the national project proposals and issues papers to develop collaborative research projects. The Coordinating Committee will be planning the 2nd International meeting of the APMRN, which is now expected to occur in early 1998. A detailed report of the Manila meeting is available from the Secretariat.   National project funding A number of national project proposals have been forwarded to UNESCO-MOST in Paris for access to their funds-in trust. To date, the Indonesian proposal has been successful in attracting funds, and the Secretariat is awaiting a response on the Korean proposal. The aim of the national proposals is to secure money available from UNESCO member governments with the assistance of MOST. The national project proposals can be used as follows: National institutions can submit them directly to their own governments and to NGOs working in their country; the MOST Secretariat will submit them to UNESCO-MOST national governments represented to obtain funds-in-trust; they can be used as the basis of applications to international donor organisations. In co-ordination with research group teams, international comparative projects can also be prepared from the national proposals.   Other Funding Initiatives Wellcome Trust The IS has been corresponding with the Population Studies Program Director of the Wellcome Trust, one of the largest non-governmental research funding bodies. They have encouraged us to make an application. Since the Wellcome Trust is specialised in health and environmental issues, we consider that an application in these fields is most likely to succeed. Accordingly, the Secretariat has asked the Research Group on Population Mobility and the Environment to prepare a proposal. The Convenor, Professor Richard Bedford, has indicated that he will do this and has suggested cross-national study which explores some of the longer-term implications of mobility (especially short-term movements) for environmental change in three contrasting Asia-Pacific countries, all of which have placed considerable emphasis on tourism as a « growth » industry and all of which face problems of reconciling the contradiction that the rapid growth in short-term mobility which they want for economic reasons is actually compromising their physical (as well as cultural) environments. An emphasis on the Pacific environment would be an important part of the proposal. Ford Foundation The Secretariat sent the new international proposal to the Ford Foundation, in November 1996. Dr. Ali Kazancigil of the MOST Secretariat has also written to the Ford Foundation. The proposal was unsuccessful, but may be adapted and resubmitted within a specific country proposal. IOM The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has agreed to grant the APMRN Secretariat with $5,000 for operating costs. The IOM gave a similar amount last year. While the IOM is not in a position to provide more funding, APMRN members should contact their IOM country or regional office. Discussion with IOM officials some time ago suggested that the Organisation would be prepared to utilise the experience of Network members for funded project work in some countries. UNESCO-MOST Funding While there have been some problems securing a sufficient grant from MOST to hold the 2nd APMRN conference for this year, the Secretariat has been advised that money will definitely be available from 1998. In fact, UNESCO's overall budget was increased which means more funds are available. The original plan was to hold the 2nd Conference in September, possibly linking it with the Sociology Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, plans will now have to be revised, but it is likely that the APMRN conference will occur early in 1998, possibly February.   Philippines Network National Convention The Philippines Migration Research network held their First national convention in February. Three papers were presented on migration patterns and migrants skills, violence against female migrant workers, and a paper on the Philippines Migrant Workers Act. The convention included a number of Government and NGO officials who were asked to respond to the presentations. The keynote address was given by the Labor Secretary, Hon. Leonardo Quisumbing. Overall, the convention was a success highlighting the strong links the APMRN has with the community and government sectors. The Filipino Network expects to release its annotated bibliography of migration literature in August this year.   Joint APMRN and US SSRC Workshop The US Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is currently running a large project designed to develop interdisciplinary theory and methodology in migration studies. The SSRC held a very successful workshop including many leading US social scientists in Florida in January 1996. Stephen Castles attended from the University of Wollongong. The SSRC now seeks cooperation and interchange with scholars working on migration in Asia and the Pacific. In April 1996, the SSRC approached the Secretariat to jointly organise a Workshop on Economic Incorporation of Migrants in Asia. This will include equal number of US and Asia-Pacific scholars. The Secretariat suggested that the Workshop be held in conjunction with the Research Group on International Migration and Entrepreneurial Activity. The Convenor, Professor Wong Siu-Iun, agreed to this, but has since had to withdraw from his Convenor role. Professor Ron Skeldon has agreed to help organise the Workshop on behalf of the Research Group. A planning meeting was held in Miami on 24 February 1997 to work out the objectives, agenda and organisational issues for the Workshop. The meeting included Josh Dewind for the SSRC; Prof. Alejandro Portes, US convenor; Stephen Castles for the APMRN Secretariat; Ron Skeldon for the Research Group. The US SSRC will cover the costs of the planning meeting, and will contribute approximately US$20,000 to the costs of the Workshop. One possibility is to hold the Workshop in conjunction with the next International Meeting of the APMRN. This would reduce costs and make it possible for more colleagues to attend. The Workshop is now planned for February 1998.   New APMRN Contacts for Korea and Malaysia The Korean network has a new convenor - Professor Hyunho Soek, Department of Sociology, Sung Kyun Kwan University, Seoul. The network there includes the Korea Labor Institute, Pai Chai University and Seoul National University. Meanwhile, the Malaysian team has a new participant. Prof. Shamsulbariah Ku Ahmad has taken over from Assoc. Prof. Tey Nai Peng as coordinator of the Population Studies Unit within the University of Malaya. The PSU has expressed its continued support for APMRN activities. Prof. Azizah Kassim, from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, remains as the other principal contact for the Malaysian network. Prof. Kassim is also convening a session on international migration at the upcoming Sociology conference in Kuala Lumpur, in September this year.   Secretariat addresses UN Commission on Population and Development Professor Stephen Castles, Director of the APMRN International Secretariat, addressed the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (UNCPD) when it met in New York from 28-28 February 1997. This Commission was set up to help implement the decisions taken at the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994. International migration was a central theme at the Cairo Conference, and the UNCPD is working to improve global cooperation on this issue. Delegates to the UNCPD represent governments, international agencies and non-governmental organizations. Professor Castles was invited to attend the New York meeting as part of the UNESCO delegation. He gave an overview of the work of the APMRN. He explained the Network's role in developing research cooperation on international migration in the Asia Pacific Region. One result of the New York UNCPD meeting was the decision to hold a UN Technical Symposium on International Migration in 1998. This meeting of experts will hopefully be a preliminary stage to the major intergovernmental conference on migration called for at the Cairo Conference. UNESCO is participating in the Steering Committee for the Technical Symposium, and the APMRN will help organise the session on « Integrating Migrants Economically, Socially and Culturally ».   Australian Migration Research Network Workshop On April 19th and 20th, the Centre for Multicultural Studies, University of Wollongong hosted a workshop on Research Issues in Asia-Pacific Migration. The workshop was designed for members of the Australian division of the APMRN to present current research or work in progress on migration and ethno-cultural diversity in the Asia-Pacific region. Over 30 people attended, including some of Australia's foremost migration and ethnic relations experts. A grant by the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia funded the workshop. 13 papers were delivered and covered regional issues such as: Emigration dynamics in developing countries in South Asia; internal migration of minority nationalities in China; internal labour regulation and the relationship between the ILO and WTO. Issues such as social service needs arising from settlement, corresponding social and political rights and concepts of citizenship and the State, also featured Papers on aspects of Asian migration to Australia included the role of Asian ethnic small business « entrepreneurs » in employment creation; urban settlement of asian migrants in Sydney; and educational experience and participation of ethnic minorities in Australia. As this was only the second official meeting of the Australian Network in over 12 months, the workshop highlighted the importance of linking researchers - especially under the current funding climate. Papers from the conference will be published by the Australian network.   APMRN update is the newsletter of the Asia Pacific Migration Research Network (APMRN). The Network is an initiative of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) division of UNESCO. For more information on the APMRN, please contact: Patrick Brownlee Centre for Multicultural Studies, University of Wollongong, 2522, Australia. p.brownlee@uow.edu.au apmrn@uow.edu.au

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