BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 24. Kazakhstan aims to further enhance regional cooperation during its upcoming leadership phase in the Almaty Process, said Askarbek Yertaev, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Trend reports.
At the third ministerial conference of the Almaty Process in Baku, Yertaev pointed out that the country aims to tighten the bonds between Central Asian nations and cultivate closer ties between governments and international organizations.
The conference marked the conclusion of Azerbaijan's two-year chairmanship of the process (2023-2024).
"In light of contemporary challenges, several key migration trends have emerged in the countries involved in the Almaty Process: a rise in labor migration within the region, the growing impact of climate change on population mobility, the active adoption of digital solutions in migration management, the diversification of migration routes, and the influence of geopolitical factors on migration policies," he said.
Ertaev further provided an update on the current migration situation in Kazakhstan, noting a positive trend in external migration for 2024.
"The migration balance remains positive for 2023-2024, with a net migration increase of 17,000 people by the end of 2024," he added.
As per the United Nations data, there are currently around 281 million international migrants globally, which represents approximately 3.6 percent of the world’s population.
"The primary drivers of displacement, both within and across borders, include military conflicts, violence, political and economic instability, climate change, and man-made disasters. In this context, key global trends are emerging: stricter migration policies in several countries, the ongoing brain drain, the urgent need to protect the rights of labor migrants, a growing number of climate refugees, and the integration of digital solutions, which also bring about new vulnerabilities for migrants," he added.
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