National

This case study forms part of a series of case studies on good practices, lessons learnt and recommendations extracted from the projects supported by the UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI) to enhance migration management for local development. The experience of the JMDI shows that the most effective initiatives are anchored with local or regional authorities and carried out in a multi-stakeholder and participatory approach, including migrants and migrants’ associations or diaspora.

In view of the developmental impact of migration, Bangladesh has declared migration as a major thrust sector in Bangladesh, and as such migration has found extensive place throughout the Sixth "Five Year Plan" of Bangladesh which operates from 2011-2015. Major actions have also been initiated on migration governance. These include activities in legislative, policy, and institutional areas.

The 'Indian Community Welfare Fund' is an institutional model to look after the protection and welfare of Indian migrants. The Ministry has established the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) in the 43 Indian Missions across the world in countries that have a significant overseas Indian population.

The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) is aimed at providing ‘on site' welfare services on a means tested basis in the most deserving cases including:

'Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana' is a compulsory insurance scheme for the overseas Indian workers.  The Ministry of External Affairs has framed guidelines for all Indian emigrants going abroad for employment purposes with ECR (Emigration Check Required) endorsement on their passport to compulsorily take out this insurance cover.

IASCI-NEXUS Moldova is an initative encompassing private sector, migrants' interest and local public administration in order to give direct advice and counseling to the migrants to reduce all plausible risks and provide assistance to migrants to manage their costs. The overall objective of NEXUS Moldova is to foster links between migration and development at the local level, by developing durable capacities and systematic collaboration among national and sub-national authorities, civil society and private-sector stakeholders

Tunisia has set up and created a Ministry of Development of Information Technologies in 2012 as well developed a five year national digital strategy up to 2018 to allow for better connectivity both within community and internationally with partners abroad and especially with Tunisian diaspora.

FUNZI  is a joint initiative by a start up and the government of Finland to carve a map of the places where refugees are arriving in Finland and to provide them all the information they need on the country. In 2015, they launched a mobile information and learning service for asylum seekers and refugees.  The information for the newcomers on the country is in several languages. 

Prometeo Viejos Sabios is an initiative established by the government of Ecuador  to do skill mapping of diaspora and using the skills of diaspora to meet the needs of the country.  This includes identifying  the skilled migrants living abroad and the kind of projects they engage with and based on the needs of the country. They try to attract the migrants back temporarily or permanently so that they could contribute to scientific or health projects in Ecuador.  

The Programa RAICES, Argentina is an initiative to reach out to expatriate researchers and encourage them to contribute to the national S&T system ant to develop scientific cooperation and research networks using connectivity.  Migrants can contribute from abroad and this is one way the Argentinian government can foster the return of skilled migrants.

Since 2002, South Korea organises the World Korean Business Convention from time to time that relies on connectivity for migrants abroad. The Purpose is to rely on diaspora to foster trade and promote Korean export, by building an integrated global network of domestic and overseas Korean businesses