Aims to assist states in their efforts to develop new policy approaches, solutions and practical measures for better management of labour migration in countries of origin and of destination. Analyses effective policies and practices and draws on examples from OSCE participating States as well as other countries that have experience in this field.

Migration for work is an important livelihood option for many households in Tajikistan due to limited job opportunities. Remittances from migrant workers significantly supplement the country’s foreign currency reserves, but the economic crisis and worldwide shutdown induced by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have caused international migration flows to fall, and remittances are projected to decline significantly. This publication reviews the state of international migration out of Tajikistan and identifies the impact of COVID-19 on the movement of people and migrant workers, in particular. It also reviews international best practices and proposes appropriate predeparture programs, post-return services for Tajik migrants, and ways to address migrate worker issues related to the pandemic.

It is increasingly acknowledged that migration issues need a co-ordinated approach, with discussions being undertaken at bilateral levels, as well as at regional and global levels. This publication seeks to establish a common understanding about the terms and concepts used in the field of migration, in order to establish a useful tool to help further international cooperation on this topic.

This Handbook focuses on the complexity surrounding the interaction between trade, labour mobility and development, taking into consideration social, economic and human rights implications, and identifies mechanisms for lawful movements across borders and their practical implementation.

Handbook of Internal Migration in India is an inter-disciplinary, multi-faceted and thought-provoking book on internal migrants and their dynamics among the states in India. The first of its kind, this handbook provides novel information on processes, trends, determinants, differentials and dynamics of internal migration and its inter-linkages with individuals, families, economy and society. Most of the chapters have been written by scholars of repute who have spent their lifetime working on migration and the factors associated with it. This handbook is an attempt to address the lacunae in internal migration studies using both big data, such as Indian censuses, National Sample Surveys, India Human Development Surveys and Kerala Migration Surveys, and micro-level data collected by enthusiastic researchers in most parts of India to explore the unknown facets of internal migration. This book employs interdisciplinary and mixed methods to examine issues such as climate change, gender, urbanization, caste/tribe, religion, politics and emergence of migration policies. It addresses the crucial question as to why temporary and short-term migration continues to be an important livelihood strategy for millions of migrants thereby having an everlasting impact on the sociopolitical and economic structure of the country.

Unlike the movement of capital, the movement of labor across countries remains highly restricted—despite the huge global returns to international labor mobility. If the benefits of temporary labor mobility are so great, why is there not more movement? Progress appears to have been stymied not by the forum of negotiations but by the political sensitivity associated with even temporary labor mobility. To circumvent this problem, the use of bilateral labor agreements, which are generally not part of trade agreements, has been proposed as an alternative means of increasing temporary labor mobility. This book analyses the viability and performance of these agreements as a complement to other efforts to liberalize the temporary movement of people. It is based on the experiences of sending and receiving countries in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Although bilateral labor agreements are not designed to promote services exports by the sending country, they can be used to do so. Countries can design flexible strategies that combine both international trade and bilateral labor agreements. Trade agreements can provide rules and disciplines that grant market access for a wide range of activities. In contrast, bilateral labor agreements can allow countries, especially developing countries, to focus on the temporary movement of very specific categories of workers, such as computer programmers or electricians within the construction sector. The experiences of some Caribbean countries, the Pacific Islands countries, and the Philippines illustrate the importance of shared responsibility—at the design, implementation, and institutional levels. At the design level, sending and receiving countries need to agree on a set of objectives and align the design to meet them. At the implementation level, joint and cooperative management involving state and nonstate actors on both sides is required. At the institution-building level, needs must be jointly diagnosed, capacity constraints addressed, and, if possible, progress monitored and evaluated. Bilateral labor agreements can be an attractive option for middle-income countries whose migratory flows are relatively small and do not generate fears in receiving countries. Source country governments should make credible commitments to ensure the temporary nature of these flows. In conjunction with the private sector, they should establish mechanisms for selecting the sectors to promote in target markets.

The IDC identifies 250 examples of positive alternatives to immigration detention in 60 countries, that respect fundamental human rights, are less expensive and equally or more effective than traditional border controls.