IOM will host a two-day regional policy dialogue on remittances and
development on 6–7 May 2009 in Jakarta to provide a forum for
government, civil society, financial institutions and other
stakeholders involved in migration issues to discuss links between
migration, remittances and development.

During the event, entitled "Harnessing the Development Potential
of Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Remittances", the preliminary
findings of ongoing IOM research on remittance corridors between
Malaysia and Indonesia, and the Netherlands and Indonesia in
partnership with the Economic Resource Centre for Overseas
Filipinos (ERCOF), will be used to provide comprehensive data on
the remittance channelling and utilization behaviour of Indonesian
migrants and their beneficiaries.

According to the Malaysia-Indonesia study, more than 50 per cent
of migrants surveyed transmitted their remittances home through
formal remittance channels. The beneficiaries manage to save on
average about USD 42 per month.  

Overseas employment has become one of the key livelihood options
for many Indonesian workers. Poverty and limited employment
opportunities at home continue to trigger outward migration. Many
Indonesians view migration as an opportunity to access much higher
wages and better standards of living.

Remittances represent tangible contributions that migrants make
to their families, communities and home countries. According to the
National Authority for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian
Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI) and Bank Indonesia, some 5.6 million
Indonesian workers went abroad between 1994 to 2007 and USD 6.6
billion of remittances sent back home in 2008 alone.

Since 2008, IOM Indonesia has expanded its programmes to address
the need to protect migrant workers and to optimize the benefits of
labour migration for migrants.

The Dialogue is part of an IOM project supported by the European
Commission aimed at improving knowledge of remittance corridors and
at enhancing development through inter-regional dialogue.

For more information please contact:

Jihan Labetubun

E-mail: "mailto:jlabetubun@iom.int">jlabetubun@iom.int

Tel: +62-21-3983 8529

or

Cecilia Cantos

IOM Indonesia

Tel: +62-21-3983 8529

E-mail: "mailto:ccantos@iom.int">ccantos@iom.int

or

Aiko Kikkawa

IOM Manila

Tel: +63-2-848 1260 (ext 152.)

E-mail: "mailto:akikkawa@iom.int">akikkawa@iom.int