The fifteenth Asia Dialogue on Forced Migration (ADFM) meeting was convened on June 23-24 in Jakarta, bringing together 30 government and non-government leaders from 8 nations to discuss key challenges and opportunities for deeper cooperation on forced migration issues in the region.
This meeting took place one year on from major global funding cuts to international aid and resettlement programs, and in the midst of ongoing conflict in the Middle East and civil war in Myanmar, which are placing significant pressure on humanitarian support across Southeast Asia. With conditions worsening across refugee camps and shelters, displaced populations are increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, human trafficking and dangerous maritime movements. 2026 is likely to be the deadliest year on record for smuggling routes through the Andaman Sea.
Acknowledging these significant challenges, participants focused on two main themes in their discussions across the two days:
On expanding opportunities for refugees, Thailand’s progress in granting work rights to over 40,000 long-term refugees from Myanmar was highlighted as a key development. Participants were particularly interested in the lessons from Thai representatives and practical advice on how they can replicate elements of the policy in their own countries. Participants also discussed progress in the Phillipines—with its university education program for Rohingya refugees now seeing its first graduates— Malaysia’s ongoing work to formally register displaced persons in the country, and planned revisions to Indonesia’s Presidential Regulation on the Handling of Refugees
There was broad agreement that a sustainable response to forced migration requires shifting away from sole reliance on short-term humanitarian assistance. Instead, participants emphasised that strengthening access to education, skills training, legal identity, and formal economic opportunities serves as a crucial foundation for long-term refugee self-reliance. Investing in these areas not only reduces vulnerability to exploitation and human trafficking, but also provides a tangible economic benefit to host countries.
Representatives from non-ASEAN member states were also active in discussions around how they can best support efforts through their role as formal ‘dialogue partners’. The growing risk of dangerous, irregular maritime movements, as well as the rise of scam centres and other criminal enterprises involved in human trafficking, were identified as key areas that require stronger collaboration through better exchange of data, better coordination between cross-border officials and strengthened protections for vulnerable groups.
The ADFM Dinner on 23 June featured remarks from MP Mercy Chriesty Barends of Indonesia and Jane Duke, Australia’s Ambassador to Counter Modern Slavery, People Smuggling and Human Trafficking. Each speaker reflected on the role of regional institutions and how to achieve stronger regional cooperation in the face of growing forced migration challenges and declining trust in global and multilateral institutions.
The Asia Dialogue on Forced Migration (ADFM) was established in 2015 to be an independent Track 1.5 forum for genuine dialogue on the critical forced migration issues facing the region. The ADFM has contributed to changes in governance, policy and practice benefiting refugees, stateless, and trafficked persons, in partnership with the region’s institutions and national governments.
The ADFM Secretariat is convened by CPD in collaboration with partners from the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and the The Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University. We are very grateful for their ongoing partnership and support of this work, which could only be achieved through this unique collaboration.
