Photo shows temporary government housing for incoming migrants; South Africa.
[Contributor: Design Pics Inc / Alamy]
In 2011 the Ramphal Commission on Migration and Development published a seminal 3-volume report ‘People on the Move’ which was presented to heads of government at the Perth CHOGM. As the commission’s chair, former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson underlined, the wise management of international migration is ‘one of the greatest challenges of our time’. The aim of the commission was to advise Commonwealth leaders and politicians how to use migration in ways which could contribute to economic growth in both developed and developing countries. The report covered enduring issues around ‘brain drain’, human dimensions of international migration, the role of diasporas, and remittance flows. The report also made a set of specific recommendations for policy makers, advocating a Commonwealth Consultative Process.
Since 2011 the multiple challenges around migration confronting Commonwealth governments have only continued to grow, against a backdrop of an increasingly polarized media landscape which often stigmatizes the movement of individuals or communities. This special issue of The Round Table. The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs seeks to contribute to contemporary debates and to possible policy solutions around migration issues across the Commonwealth.
More about The Round Table Journal
Scholars, doctoral students and post-graduates, and research analysts are invited to submit papers on contemporary issues around voluntary and forced migration across the Commonwealth. These might include:
- reflections on the original report People On the Move, such as an assessment of what (if anything) has been achieved, and contemporary relevance;
- assessment of national policy (both individual and comparative – for example, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom);
- climate change and migration;
- migration, sovereignty and identity;
- refugee and asylum ‘regimes’;
- specific sector migration (STEM; health care and support workers);
- social and human dimensions of the impact of migration (family disruption; inter-generational trauma);
- media and migration: challenging negative perceptions and misinformation;
- diaspora and remittances;
- Migration and return;
- Developments in international humanitarian law (IHL) and migration;
- international attempts to limit or manage migration; for example, the work of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM); the impact of the European Union (EU)’s strategy to prevent boats from Libya and Tunisia on sub-Saharan states further south; efforts at migration policy coordination within CARICOM .
Early career scholars, particularly those in Commonwealth countries in the Global South, are particularly encouraged to apply. Where appropriate, the Round Table offers mentoring and additional editorial support.
Contributors are invited to submit an abstract of maximum 500 words, together with a short cv, to Professor Sue Onslow ([email protected]) by 31st March 2025. Those selected will be notified by 15th April 2025, and asked to submit their completed article (4000-6000 words) by 31st August 2025.
(Note: Submitted papers must not have been published elsewhere.)
