2020 by the Young Diplomats Society

CENTRAL ASIA
ic's Impact on Central
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SAMUEL GARRETT
With the rapid closure of
borders early in the year,
hundreds of migrant workers
The implications for Central Asia’s pandemic recovery are
significant. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
estimates that over 90 per cent of Central Asian migrant
workers will not be able to send home remittances due to
this year’s crisis. While the IOM launched an appeal in May
seeking millions of dollars to help poverty-stricken migrants
in Central Asia, this will not address the impact of billions of
dollars in lost remittances. As borders have slowly reopened,
tens of thousands have been able to return home, but the
long term knock-on effects of this year will only now begin
to be felt. The loss of remittances will impact families across
Central Asia who rely on the funds for study, rent, and basic
essentials. Governments will also now be forced to do more
with less for thousands of workers returning without income
or employment.
The predicament of Central Asia’s migrant workers is not
unique. Similar stories have played out across the globe,
including in Australia. The World Bank estimates that global
remittances will fall by 20 per cent this year alone. However,
Central Asian economies’ heavy reliance on remittances has
seen the region especially hard hit. The region’s experience
serves as a stark reminder of the pandemic’s
disproportionate impact on migrants and developing
countries, and the importance of wealth, stability and a
powerful passport to being able to easily navigate a complex
world of borders; a fact often taken for granted. For those
most affected, the immediate future is bleak.
were stranded at airports
and border crossings, either
unable to enter or unable to
leave. With lockdowns
forcing many out of work,
thousands soon found
themselves on the wrong
sides of sealed borders.