© UNESCO Beijing
Migrants on their way to a construction site

The conference will bring together social scientists and local stakeholders in labour rights and human rights to discuss internationally coordinated policy alternatives for promoting migrants' labour rights and a more inclusive role of civil society.

The overall purpose is to reflect on knowledge and promote social dialogue on the role of labour unions and other organisations of civil society in the global governance of migration. These issues will be discussed against the background of labour market restructuring and emerging international norms pertaining to labour rights as human rights.

The conference is placed under the auspices of the UNESCO Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme. The Programme's primary purpose is to transfer relevant social science research findings and data to decision-makers and other stakeholders. It focuses on building efficient bridges between research, policy and practice.

The Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society (REMESO), organizer of the conference, was founded in January 2008. It pursues interdisciplinary research, education and knowledge dissemination on transnational migration, ethnic diversity and citizenship.