8th Conference of the IASFM
Forced Migration and Global Processes
The International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) held its 8th International Conference on Forced Migration from the 5th to the 9th of January 2003 in cooperation with its local host, The Asian Research Centre for Migration, Chulalongkorn University. It was the first time that the association has held its bi-ennial conference in Asia, having met previously in the United Kingdom, Africa, and the Middle East. As such, the 8th Conference has been an important occasion for strengthening links between the IASFM and Asian academics, policy-makers and practitioners.

The Asian Research Centre for Migration (ARCM) at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, developed out of the Indochinese Refugee Information Center (IRIC). The IRIC was originally established in 1987 to act as a centralizcentralized migration-related information for the South-East Asia region. ARCM's staff are involved in research and documentation on issues related to regional migration, including migrant workers, refugees and other transborder movements of people, as well as the implications of such movements.

The Centre organizes lectures, seminars, training and consultancies pertaining to migration for individuals and organizations in the region. Chiang Mai is approximately one hour's flight from Bangkok and is served by an international airport with good regional flight connections. Click on Chulalongkorn University logo for detailed

Programme of the 8th Conference

• The transformation of the world economy, with the expansion of free-trade, the reorientation of development policies towards market-based economies and the demise of the State as a central actor in socio-economic life.
• The modification of the balance of power. Only one state is now able to claim the status of super-power. However, various (trading) regions are emerging as powerful collective entities. At the same time we see the resurgence of (violent) ethno-nationalist claims or religious particularisms, and the development of sources of individual and state insecurity in many other areas.
• The emergence of the global environment as an important political preoccupation, with attention being given to issues such as climate change, water supply, biodiversity, biotechnologies, etc.
• As a result of migration itself, and of increased communication and transport facilities, communities are no longer necessarily confined to the geographical areas in which they have developed over centuries. Networks of migrants, with common routes, or attachments developed en route are emerging, bringing new understandings to questions of identity.

Evaluations of the forced migration consequences of international development policies show varied results. How can these consequences become more central in the formulation of international development policies? Development policies have radically changed since the inception of the first structural adjustment programmes. International Financial Institutions have been influential in bringing about dramatic economic, administrative, social and political changes within developing societies, both positive and negative. These have often resulted in an acceleration of the movement of persons, both internally (often towards cities) and internationally (generally towards more prosperous regions), even where such migration is not always clearly spurred only or primarily by economic considerations. How can we analyse development-induced migrations? How can we evaluate the impact of development projects or policies on migratory movements? What migrations are caused by changes in the environment and what changes in the environment are caused by migrations? Is it possible to evaluate the costs and benefits of migratory movements in economic terms? Will the deepening of the economic divide between North and South trigger more massive forced population movements?

Human rights concerns cross-cut all forced migration issues. Not only are many forced migration movements undertaken as a result of human rights violations, but the very experience of being forcibly displaced renders the migrant's human rights vulnerable to abuse, violation, or deprivation. Where can we expect them to make a real difference for the most vulnerable, i.e. women, children, elderly, victims of torture, minorities, etc. Forced migration results from and constitutes a violation of basic human rights: right to physical integrity, freedom of movement, right to food, freedom from torture, right to health, right to an education, etc. How do individuals and families cope with being forced to move? How do communities deal with both outward and inward migrations? How can we best ensure the principle of family unity? How is it possible to preserve the rights of children and protect them effectively through migratory movements? How can forced migrants benefit from their experience and how can they be helped in their adaptation to new life parameters? What role do education and employment play in facilitating integration, resettlement or eventual repatriation? How can we ensure that the experience of involuntary displacement ends as quickly as possible and that the displaced are offered the most appropriate durable solution? How can we ensure that the reforms imposed by structural adjustment programmes do not result in the violation of the core human rights of the most vulnerable, including forced migrants, and especially women, children, elderly, victims of torture, minorities, etc. ? What is the role of international human rights institutions in situations of forced migration, if any? Is anyone or any institution to be held accountable for guaranteeing that the human rights of the displaced are respected? How about an independent treaty monitoring mechanism for the 1951 Geneva Convention? What is the relationship between a violation of human rights and "a well-founded fear of persecution?" and what are the differences in protection issues for each? What treatment should a host country offer to asylum-seekers in order to respect their human rights? How can we secure policies that will uphold the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being , and taking into account the impact of both local and global socio-economic, historical and geo-political factors?

Irregular migrations are nowadays considered primarily security issues. What security are we considering: security against forced migrants or security for forced migrants? How can we ensure that the protection of forced migrants is included in the full range of domestic and international security policies? Illegal movements of persons have come to be considered primarily as national and international security threats, alongside terrorism and drug trafficking, rather than as an act of last resort taken by forced migrants who might otherwise be unable to escape persecution or to reunite with family members. Numerous instruments and policies, as well as significant international cooperation, address human trafficking, migrant smuggling, illegal entry, detention of migrants, and other migration issues from a security perspective. This is especially true in the wake of the Sept. 11^th 2001 events. What impact do containment and interception policies have on migratory movements? Conversely, how do forced migrants react to such preventive measures? Should a legal, academic or policy distinction be made between trafficking in persons and smuggling migrants? How can the legitimate interests of States in protecting their borders be balanced with the recognition of the legitimate protection needs of forced migrants? Instances of regularized migration are sometimes also perceived as threatening, if not to national security as such, then to the identity of a state and the societal structures its people have created. How can states intervene with their own populations to address issues of racism and xenophobia? Furthermore, domestic security issues arise when displacement is internal rather than international. How can the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs) best be guaranteed? Are there cases in which focus on protection of IDPs provides a degree of impunity to perpetrators of persecution and human rights violations to the non-displaced? How should the protection and/or return of forced migrants be included in conflict management strategies and peace building efforts? How to ensure the security of refugee camps when they are build near borders? How can one deal with threats of armed elements on refugee camps or flows of forced migration? How can the security of the staff of aid organizations be ensured? Is there a role for the military in the protection of forced migrants? What is and will be the impact of the global fight against terrorism on the asylum options for forced migrants? How do concerns about terrorism impact states' willingness to accept asylum seekers from certain countries, and in what ways (if any) is their treatment by immigration officials affected?

The

conference's programme

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