ASEAN (Laotian Times): The second ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Safe and Fair Labor Migration and the launch of the awareness campaign videos for the ASEAN Safe and Fair Migration Campaign brought together more than seventy legislators, professionals and representatives of civil society and international. organizations
They explored ways to better protect the rights of the 7.1 million ASEAN migrants in the region, ensuring their valuable contribution to sustainable economic development.
The Audiovisual Products (AVP) of the ASEAN Public Campaign on Safe and Fair Migration were developed to equip current and potential migrant workers with reliable and comprehensive information to help them better prepare for migration and protect them from exploitation.
For more effective outreach, these materials are available in English, Khmer, Bahasa Indonesia, Laotian, Burmese, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
This ASEAN initiative was led jointly by the Philippines Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and is supported by the European Union (EU) through the Enhanced Regional Dialogue Instrument EU-ASEAN (E-READI), and the International Labor Organization (ILO) through the EU-funded “Safe and Fair” (SAF) program ILO-UN Women under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative.
In her keynote address, Philippine Migrant Workers Secretary Susan V. Ople highlighted the critical role information and education play in empowering millions of migrant workers across the region.
“Knowledge is power and it is very important that you are guided every step of your journey through these audiovisual presentations that would stand the test of time.
“It is also very important that the voices of our stakeholders are heard.” Secretary Ople added:
“These pieces of wisdom based on a long history of work and migration across and beyond ASEAN come together in vivid informational materials that every migrant worker can use and, if possible, reuse while traveling to seek ways to improve life. economic. of their families.”
The Chairman of the ASEAN Senior Labor Officials Meeting (SLOM) and DOLE Undersecretary, Benedicto Ernesto R. Bitonio, emphasized the importance of labor migration in expanding job opportunities for ASEAN people and improving of the economies of the member states: “This mobility encourages the regional complementation of resources, stimulates growth and development, promotes cultural exchange and contributes to the ASEAN vision of shared prosperity.
“The recently adopted ASEAN Declaration on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families in Crisis Situations also seeks to protect migrants from abuses they may suffer.”
It concluded: “The VPAs launched today aim to educate ASEAN citizens about the kind of labor migration we all want: decent work for migrant workers.”
Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, added: “As post-pandemic labor migration resumes, it is critical that we strengthen information and services to help make migration safe and fair. . These videos, which complement existing educational materials, will make a valuable contribution to decent work and social justice for women and men migrant workers in the ASEAN region and beyond.”
The 2nd ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Safe and Fair Labor Migration on 7 July 2023 recognized that increasing the mobility of migrant workers requires a joint response, continuous improvement in labor migration governance and strengthening of regional migration measures. .
The dialogue was an opportunity for ASEAN and EU officials to share knowledge and perspectives on effective strategies to support the well-being of migrant workers and their families.
“Migration is a vital component of development, as it contributes to global economic growth and the eradication of poverty. With the growing importance of migration in our society, there is a pressing need to prioritize its security and fairness,” HE Igor Driesmans, EU Ambassador to ASEAN, said in his remarks.
“The EU-Asean Strategic Partnership recognizes the complexities associated with this issue and underlines our collective commitment to address common challenges, including through our cooperation to protect and promote the rights of migrant workers.
“Equally important is the inclusion of voices that are often marginalized in the migration debate, as they can contribute to the development of our policies,” he added.
“Starting in 2023, labor migration in the region is reaching pre-pandemic levels. This requires existing labor mobility management systems in the region to be further developed to maximize the contribution of migrants to overall socio-economic recovery and growth,” explained Sarah Arriola, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the Organization. International for Migration (IOM).
“It is encouraging to see that the governments of the region have taken important steps to improve the governance of migration,” he congratulated.
The second ASEAN-EU Dialogue on Safe and Fair Labor Migration and the launch of awareness campaign videos for the ASEAN Safe and Fair Migration Campaign were part of a workshop of senior ASEAN labor officials on the mid-term review and ASEAN Labor Ministers 5-Year Work Program Strategic Planning 2021-2025, in Boracay, Philippines, July 4-7, 2023.
The entire program was supported by the EU through E-READI; ILO, IOM and ASEAN Secretariat. – Laotian Times
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.