November 9: The World Bank and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) jointly organized the 10th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Migration in South Asia on November 7-8 in Kathmandu.

According to the World Bank, the conference brought together insightful discussions on the status, challenges and advancements of migration in the region.

The conference noted that internal and international economic migration, largely temporary in nature, is a major factor in the lives of the poor in South Asia. According to the World Bank, it helps millions of households improve their lives by enabling large remittance inflows and insurance from local shocks, and through the contribution of migrants to local economies.

“The act of migration entails potentially high returns but also considerable risks and costs. The COVID crisis has also brought to the fore several long-standing policy concerns related to economic migration in South Asia,” the World Bank wrote on its website.

The two days of hybrid sessions featured paper presentations, a keynote lecture, policy and expert panel discussions, and a short presentation on the main findings of the World Bank’s South Asia Economic Focus Fall 2022 Coping with Shocks: Migration in South Asia, added the World Bank.