Programme

08:30 – 09:00          REGISTRATION

09:00 – 10:00          INAUGURATION

09:10 – 09:10          Welcome Address:                              Bettina Meier,Resident Representative,
                                                                                                     Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

09:10 – 09:20         Introduction to the Conference:        Saman Kelegama, , Executive Director,
                                                                                                    Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka
                                                                                                      

09:20 – 09:30         Address by the Guest of Honour:      Richard Danziger, , Chief of Mission, International
                                                                                                    Organization for Migration (IOM) – Sri Lanka                                                                                                                                                                                                       
          
09:30–09:45         Address by the Chief Guest:               Hon. Dilan Perera, Minister of Foreign Employment                                                                                                    Promotion and Welfare, Government of Sri Lanka

09:45–10:00        Institutional Mechanisms for             Ambassador Nihal Rodrigo, (PDF Format 206KB)
                                                                                                   former Foreign
                               South Asian Cooperation in                Secretary & former Secretary General - SAARC
                               Migration
                                                                                                                

10:10–10:30      TEA / COFFEE

10:30–12:00            Session I:                                              TAKING STOCK OF THE SOUTH ASIA MIGRATION COMMISSION & THE                                                                                                    OUTCOME OF THE RAMPHAL COMMISSION  

                                   Chairperson:                                        Dushni Weerakoon, Deputy Director, IPS
                                                                                                   This session will examine the objectives, progress and the stumbling                                                                                                    blocks faced thus far in the implementation of the Commission and an                                                                                                    update since November 2009. The speaker will also draw on lessons from                                                                                                    other regional forums such as the Ramphal Commission on Migration and                                                                                                    Development. The discussants will provide perspectives on the initial                                                                                                    thoughts of how things could be improved and what issues need to be                                                                                                    looked at to ensure success of the Commission.                                                                                                    

10:30 – 11:00           Speakers:                                           Yuko Hamada ,(PDF Format 2.16MB)
                                                                                                  Senior Regional Labour Migration/ Migration & Development                                                                                                   Specialist, IOM – Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific

                                                                                                  Sabaah Rab, (PDF Format 1.36MB)
                                                                                                  Senior Research Associate,                                                                                                   Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI)                                   

11:10 – 11:30           Discussants:                                    Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director,                                                                                                  South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS), Nepal

                                                                                                 D. Narayana, Professor, Research Unit on International Migration,                                                                                                  Centre for Development Studies (CDS), India
                                                                                                 

11:30 – 12:00           Floor Discussion
                                  
12:00–13:00           LUNCH

13:00–15:00           SESSION II:                                         THE ROLE OF EXISTING REGIONAL COOPERATIVES IN MIGRATION                                                                                                 MANAGEMENT

                                  Chairperson:                                      Prasad Kariyawasam, High Commissioner,                                                                                                             High Commission of Sri Lanka, New Delhi
                                                                                                This session will examine the role of existing cooperatives in migration                                                                                                 management in the South Asian region. Two speakers will discuss about                                                                                                 the objectives, progress of the Colombo Process and Abu Dhabi Dialogue,                                                                                                 existing regional consultative forums. The two discussants can attempt to                                                                                                 bring in experience from existing consultative forums and their relevance                                                                                                 and feasibility in SAMC

13:00–13:45          Speakers:                                           Abu Dhabi Dialogue: L.K. Ruhunage,  (PDF Format 74.7KMB)
                                                                                               Consultant for Migration/Foreign Employment Promotion & Welfare

                                                                                                Colombo Process: Richard Danziger, (PDF Format 1.26MB)
                                                                                               Chief of Mission, International                                                                                                Organization for Migration (IOM) – Sri Lanka

13:45–14:30         Discussants                                         Yuko Hamada, (PDF Format 4.73MB)
                                                                                                Senior Regional Labour Migration/ Migration & Development Specialist,                                                                                                 IOM – Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific

                                                                                                Ganesh Gurung, Sociologist,                                                                                                 Nepal Institute of Development Studies (NIDS), Nepal
                                  
                                                                                                Indrajit Coomaraswamy, former Director Economic Affairs,                                                                                                 Commonwealth Secretariat                                          
                                                                        
14:30–15:00            Floor Discussion

15:00–15:30           Tea/Coffee  

15:30–17:00            SESSION III:                                      WAY FORWARD FOR THE SAMC - A PANEL DISCUSSION

                                   Moderator:                                       Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director,                                                                                                                                 South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS), Nepal                                                                                               This session will operate in the form of a panel discussion, with panellists                                                                                               being given an opportunity to draw from the initial sessions and their own                                                                                               thoughts of how SAMC could be taken forward, drawing on international and                                                                                               regional experiences in this area. The panel will deliberate for 45 minutes,                                                                                              following which the discussion will open to the floor for a further 45 minutes.

                                  Panellists:                                        Zafar Mueen Nasar, Chief of Research & Dean of Business Studies,
                                                                                             Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Pakistan