Episode 29: South Asia migration mega-trends - with Shabari Nair from ILO

The Migration & Diaspora Podcast

Good morning and you're listening to the Migration & Diaspora Podcast, with me Loksan Harley from Homelands Advisory.

Today, we've got my friend, Shabari Nair from the International Labour Organization's (ILO) New Delhi office, on the show to talk us through South Asia's migration mega trends.

Shabari is the Labour Migration Specialist for South Asia at the ILO's Decent Work Technical Support Team in New Delhi. He provides technical advisory services to seven countries in the South Asian sub-region. Before that, he led ILO’s work on global migration policy, including during the Global Compact for Migration negotiations and for the newly-established UN Network on Migration. Prior to joining the ILO, Shabari worked with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organisation for Migration, and various international NGOs. As you'll hear in a moment, he also has a fascinating migration and diaspora story of his own, having grown up in Qatar and studied in both Australia (Griffiths University) and Switzerland (Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations).

South Asia is so interesting from a migration and diaspora perspective. The scale of migration flows, the size of the sub-region's diasporas, and the contributions that they make are truly staggering. Shabari gives us an incredible overview of some of the main trends that we all need to be aware of - from fair recruitment, wage theft, and the COVID effects, to the huge development opportunities that South Asian migration represents. We also touch on Shabari's personal experiences as a member of the mighty Indian and Keralite diasporas, including the importance of regional diaspora identities to the Indian diasporic experience.

Useful links

• Connect with Shabari - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shabari-nair/
• Shabari's ILO profile - https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/WCMS_662429/lang--en/index.htm
• ILO in India and South Asia - https://www.ilo.org/newdelhi/lang--en/index.htm
• UN DESA - International Migration Report 2020 - https://www.un.org/en/desa/international-migration-2020-highlights
• ILO General principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment and definition of recruitment fees and related costs - https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/fair-recruitment/WCMS_536755/lang--en/index.htm
• UN Network on Migration - https://migrationnetwork.un.org/
• The MDPcast Ep 19 on migrant worker wage theft - https://www.homelandsadvisory.com/podcast/episode/30cff438/episode-19-seeking-justice-for-wage-theft-for-migrant-workers-in-asia