UN and ASEAN: Financial crisis will affect migration in Asia

As some countries may take increasingly protectionist stances, the options for formal migration will narrow rapidly. Migrants abroad may face increasingly difficult conditions, with fewer employment opportunities and may encounter greater discrimination and stigmatization. This will lead to more undocumented migrants, unsafe migration, and an increased possibility that migrant would find themselves in situations that either put them at risk or make them more vulnerable to HIV infection. 

“The financial crisis and multi-billion dollar economic stimulus packages being put forward must not forget the faces and voices of migrants and mobile populations who are among the most vulnerable”, said Ms Gwi-Yeop Son, the UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and the convener of the Joint UN initiative on migration and HIV/AIDS in South East Asia in her welcome address.

These issues were discussed at a High Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support for Migrants in the ASEAN Region which was held on 12 – 13 February 2009, Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting brought together for the first time high level government officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health and Labour from the 10 ASEAN Member States, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), UN agencies and the ASEAN Secretariat. The main focus of the discussions was strategic interventions required to safeguard the right to health of migrant workers, and especially their access to HIV services throughout the migration cycle.