BANGKOK - Migrants from countries across Asia and the Pacific play a key role as development actors, but the benefits of migration remain under-acknowledged, according to a new United Nations report launched Monday.
Migrants help drive GDP growth in their countries of destination while also support families and communities in their helping drive GDP growth in their countries of destination while also supporting families and communities in their countries of origin, according to the Asia-Pacific Migration Report 2015: Migrants' Contributions to Development, launched by HongjooHahm, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Drawing on evidence gathered from across the region, the report finds that over 95 million people from Asia and Pacific countries lived outside their countries of birth, and that the region hosted over 59 million migrants. While there are many reasons to migrate,  the majority of these migrants are temporary migrant workers. The Asia-Pacific region also hosts over 5.5 million refugees.
Top three entity of migration origin in Asia-Pacific region are India, Russia and China. Just in 2013, more than 9 million Chinese people migrated to other countries, according to the UN report. Meanwhile, China hosted more than 2 million migrants from the Asia-Pacific region, making it the No. 7 destination country in the region.
While the report shows that many migrant workers not only benefit from their migration, but also contribute to the development of their countries of origin and destination through their work and the remittances they send home, migrants also face hardships and abuse, so action needs to be taken to maximize these benefits by ensuring that migration is orderly, safe, regular and responsible. (Xinhua)