DUSHANBE, December 26, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A seminar and a videoconference entitled “Lessons of Three Decades of Work in the Migration Field” took place at the World Bank Dushanbe Office on December 25.

According to the Interior Ministry migration service, the main objective of the event was in promoting practical activity on development of state-run and non-governmental organizations dealing with labor migration in the CIS states.

The event participants included representatives of migration services and NGOs from Bishkek, Minsk, Yerevan, Moscow, Perm, Dushanbe and Kiev.

They discussed issues related to providing efficient services to migrants and 30-year experience of work of the Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC).  Presentation of the report by the SMC director Fabio Baggio was the focus of the discussions.

The seminar participants pointed out that against the background of the global economic crisis it was necessary to develop the program for social protection of migrants and their families and optimize a role of NGOs and private sector in rendering services to migrants.

Established in Manila, Philippines in 1987, the Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC) is a non-profit research institute to encourage and facilitate the study of socio-demographic, economic, political, psychological, historical, legislative and religious aspects of human migration and refugee movements from and within Asia.  One of the primary activities of the Center is the publication of specialized periodicals, monographs and occasional papers. SMC conducts field research and hosts a specialized library on Asian migration.  Workshops and conferences are organized by the Center to stimulate dialogue among experts and practitioners.  SMC is a member of the Federation of Centers for Migration Studies (FCMS) "G.B. Scalabrini," a network of centers promoting research on international migration and the publication of journals on migration studies.  SMC is also a member of the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) and Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW).

The SMC director Fabio Baggio is also co-editor of the Asian and Pacific Migration Journal and the Asian Migration News.  He is a Scalabrinian missionary.  He obtained his Master (1994) and PhD in Church History (1998), with specialization in Contemporary History, from the Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana in Rome (Italy).