The UN estimates that there were 71 million international migrants in Asia in 2013. As globalization and regional ties in East Asia have progressed, a critical question has arisen: How can nations manage the movements of people in such a way that ensures individual, national, and regional security and prosperity? And what role does civil society have to play in that process?

These were the questions being examined by a multinational group of researchers this week who met in Tokyo as part of a JCIE project on the Movement of People in East Asia and the Role of Civil Society, which was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This was the group’s second meeting, and they were discussing their draft papers, which are to be published in a book this summer.

Migration is an indispensable part of the economic integration and demographic changes occurring in this region. In addition to the natural flow of people, migration—if it is effectively managed—can be a policy option for nations seeking to eliminate mismatches between demand and supply in the labor market.

At this meeting, project members noted that the movements of people should be managed throughout the spectrum of the various types of cross-border activities—including smuggling, trafficking, and labor migration—under the concept of “safe migration.” They noted that NGOs and other civil society organizations are playing a critical role by raising public awareness of the issues pertaining to migration—including awareness of the rights and obligations of migrants—providing social and legal services, conducting policy research and advocacy from the perspective of human rights and human security, and so on. However NGOs face tremendous challenges, including a lack of resources and a lack of coordination between the sending and receiving countries.

In order to keep migration issues high on the policy agenda and to attract attention and resources, those working on migration need to capitalize on the post-MDG discussions and think about more integrated and comprehensive responses to migration, bringing in sectoral issues such as health and business to the discussion of migration and engaging various stakeholders in the discussion.