objectives

The aim of the Colombo Process is to provide a forum for Asian labour sending countries to:

Share experiences, lessons learned and best practices on overseas employment.

Consult on issues faced by overseas workers, labour sending and receiving states, and propose practical solutions for the well being of overseas workers.

Optimize development benefits from organized overseas employment and enhance dialogue with countries of destination.

Review and monitor the implementation of the recommendations and identify further steps for action.

The dialogues continue to evolve around three thematic foci which are:

Protection of and provision of services to migrant workers - In particular, protecting migrant workers from abusive practices in recruitment and employment, and providing appropriate services to them in terms of pre-departure information, orientation and welfare provisions.

Optimizing benefits of organized labour migration - This includes the development of new overseas employment markets, increasing remittance flows through formal channels and enhancing the development impact of remittances.

Capacity building, data collection and inter-state cooperation - This includes institutional capacity building and information exchange to meet labour migration challenges; increasing cooperation with destination countries in terms of protection of migrant workers and access to labour markets; and enhancing cooperation among countries of origin.