Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit () is a research institute and think tank in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

that works with migrants and refugees. It is based out of the University of Dhaka. Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui is the founding chairperson of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit.

Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, also known as C. R. Abrar, is a retired professor of International relations of the University of Dhaka, human rights activist, and executive director of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit. He is the president ...

, professor of international relations at the University of Dhaka, is the executive director.

History

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit was established in 1995 by Tasneem Siddiqui. The founding members of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit are Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar,

Shahdeen Malik Shahdeen Malik () is a Bangladeshi lawyer, eminent jurist, constitutional expert, and legal activist. Early life and education Dr. Shahdeen Malik was born in Saruala village of Bishwanath Upazila, Biswanath Upazila under Sylhet district of Ban ...

, Sumaiya Khair, and Yasmin Ali Haque. It has carried out 80 original research on refugee and migrants issues. In 2015, the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit hosted an intern from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

as part of the CAPI's 2015 Crossing Borders Internship Program. The Canadian development assistance funded a three-year research into successful intervention pathways for migration as adaptation carried out by Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit,

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre founded in 1981, serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu ...

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

, and the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

. It published a research paper, ''The Social Cost of Migration on Left Behind Migrants’ Spouses and Children in Bangladesh'', in partnership with the

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is an office-level agency in the federal administration of Switzerland, and a part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with other federal offices, SDC is responsible for ...

. In 2021, Tasneem Siddiqui was a panelist on the Climate change and forced migration: a crisis in the making session of the World Forum for Democracy of

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

. In 2022, it published he Deaths of Migrants in the Gulf with Vital Signs Partnership. It prepared the Draft National Strategy on Climate Change and Disaster following a request of the

Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (; ''Duryōga byabasthāpanā ō trāṇa mantraṇālaẏa'') is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, responsible for disaster management and relief. After the indep ...

. The Wage Earners’ Welfare Board said 4261 Bangladeshi migrant workers died between July 2023 to June 2024 but Tasneem Siddiqui believed the number to be much higher. In 2023, Europe had the highest number of asylum seekers, 40,332 Bangladeshis, from Bangladesh on record. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, executive director of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, said ''"We have experienced political unrest, repression, and a lack of personal security in our country. These could be major reasons for seeking international protection in EU countries"''. In August 2024, the Chair of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit Tasneem Siddiqui was appointed a member of an committee formed by the interim government of Bangladesh to write a white paper on the economy of Bangladesh. The committee would be led by

Debapriya Bhattacharya Debapriya Bhattacharya is an economist and public policy analyst from Bangladesh. He was the first executive director of Centre for Policy Dialogue in Dhaka. He also worked as a senior research fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studi ...

References

{{reflist, 2 1995 establishments in Bangladesh Organisations based in Dhaka Research institutes in Bangladesh Think tanks based in Bangladesh