Tanzilla Mostafiz

he Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), an affiliate of the University of Dhaka, has been functioning as a research, training, and policy advocacy institution since 1996. Its primary focus has been on migration, refugee, displacement, and governance issues. Migration has been identified as one of the major socio-economic challenges that will require serious engagement of the global community in the 21st century. The complexity of varied types of migration processes has increasingly become a major area of research and concomitant policy intervention. In its thirty years of existence Bangladesh has experienced varied kinds of migratory patterns. These include, refugee flow to and out of the country, long-term migration to the West, and short-term contract migration to the Gulf and South East Asia. Movements of population have major policy ramifications for Bangladesh. The country's economy is very much dependent on the remittances of the migrants. Again some movements have impinged upon the national integration process of the country and others have affected bilateral relations. Therefore, research and information on all such kinds of population movements are essential for formulating effective policies. In 1996 RMMRU was established to study population movements both within and across national borders. Over the years, advocacy, awareness campaign, and training also became part of core activities of RMMRU.