Found in Members

Afghanistan

Trends and characteristics of labour migration Cross border mobility has been an essential aspect of Afghan history, including migration for both seasonal and permanent employment, although labour migration through government-to-government agreements or using the services of recruitment agencies are still new to the country. Afghan workers, almost all of whom are men, predominantly migrate to Pakistan and Iran, although some migrate to the Gulf region in search of work. Remittances from overseas Afghan workers are significant sources of incomes both for the national economy and migrants’ families. While the official figure indicates that personal remittances account for 1.3% of the GDP (World Bank, 2014), the actual ratio could be much higher as the majority of migrants rely on informal remittance channels and these transactions are not taken into account in the official figure. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) Labor affairs and administration, social protection and welfare of Afghan overseas workers URL Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) Planning and coordinating policies related to migration URL The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior Facilitating the signing of MoUs with CODs, Visa process, and all other relevant diplomatic Affairs. URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Regulation for Sending Afghan Workers Abroad, 1384 [2005] The regulation stipulates the qualifications and obligations of Afghan workers, obligations of the responsible ministry and those of employer authorities. PDF Afghan Labor Law 2007 The Article 150 of the Afghanistan's Labour Law vest the authority to the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled to send Labour overseas for the purpose of reducing unemployment. The regulation for Sending Labour overseas regulates the labour dispatch abroad. n/a Afghanistan National Development Strategy 2008-2013 Pillar 7 focuses on bilateral agreements to ensure migrants’ rights in destination countries. PDF Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration Labour migration in general - Qatar (2015) Negotiations underway - Iran, Kuwait, UAE, KSA Good practices Thematic area - Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework - A machine-readable passport system was introduced in 2013, which enables to collect and store biometric data of Afghan populations including those of migrant workers. Skills & Qualification Recognition - The Ministry of Education runs Technical Schools and the MoLSAMD administers Vocational Training centers. Establishment of a National Qualification Authority is envisaged, meanwhile to fill the gap the ILO office in Kabul agreed to work on a certification mechanism specifically for the workers to be dispatched overseas. Ethical Recruitment - A regulation for Private Sector Employment Services Companies has been developed and submitted for the review of the Ministry of Justice. Also a Manual has been drafted for Issuing Permit to the Recruiting Agencies. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment - Pre- departure orientation and empowerment is stipulated as a responsibility of the recruiting agency in the agreement to be signed between the recruiting agency and the Ministry. Every single recruiting agency signs a contract with the Ministry as part of the licensing procedure. Also there is a recruiting agencies association and majority of the agencies are members to this association. However, the contract is individually signed between the ministry and recruitment agency. Remittances - Encouraged to be channeled through the bank. Measures yet to be determined. Labour Market Analysis - A new Directorate for the Labour Market Studies has been added to the organizational structure of the General Directorate of Manpower and Labour Affairs Regulation. Labour Market Analysis is the mandate of this Directorate. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Bangladesh

Trends and characteristics of labour migration International labour migration is integral part of the economic and social fabric of the country. While migration from Bangladesh has been traditionally a male phenomenon, there has been a steady increase of women migrants in recent years, predominantly to the domestic work sector in GCC (approx. 7% of the total number of labour migrants; BMET 2011). Men migrate to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Singapore as the top destination countries where they are employed mostly in the construction and manufacturing sectors as unskilled workers (50%), skilled (31%), and semi-skilled workers (16%) (BMET, 2009). Overseas employment and remittances play an important role in the national economy of Bangladesh. Remittances flow has been increasing every year (15.8 USD billions in 2015, ranking as the 10th top remittance-receiving country (World Bank, 2015)) and so its share to GDP (8.7 % in 2014, World Bank). The growing trend in remittance inflows is driven by factors such as: the overall increase in the number of Bangladeshi migrant workers; the diversification of destinations; large diaspora populations in OECD; and, the national policy that supports the use of formal channels for sending remittances. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MEWOE) Management of overseas employment and promotion of migrant workers’ welfare through policies, plans, laws, rules and regulations. URL Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Conducting informal and special training courses. Emigration clearance for migrant workers. Maintenance of database network for the migrant workers. Welfare of overseas Bangladeshi workers and their families. Regulate and monitor licenses of recruiting agencies. URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Overseas Employment Act 2013 First law on labour migration. All migrant workers are guaranteed basic labour rights and have access to labour courts. PDF Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration Labour Migration in general - Libya (2008); Malaysia (2003, 2012); Qatar (1988; 2008); UAE (2007); Rep. of Korea (2010, 2012) Specific to domestic workers - Jordan (2012) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework MEWOE promotes migrant online registration and created a data bank of registered job seekers. A SMART card has been introduced to store personal and job information of migrant workers. Skills & Qualification Recognition A number of systems are put in place to regulate and monitor recruitment agencies: Grading system for recruitment agencies Code of conduct for recruitment agencies The inter-agency Vigilance Task Force to monitor the migration process, ensure the accountability and transparence of recruiting agencies. Online registration for recruitment agencies to keep out unauthorized intermediaries from the business. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment BMET organizes country-specific PDOs about service conditions, working environment, culture, salary, remittance system, as well as basic language training. Compulsory trade testing for female migrating in as domestic workers has been introduced to reduce the vulnerability of exploitation. Remittances Special privilege policy of expatriate Bangladeshis for remittance has been approved in 2008. In 2010 the “Expatriates’ Welfare Bank”- Probashi Kallyan Bank (PKB) - has been set up as a specialized bank designed in support of needs of migrant workers and returnees in the areas of banking and finance. Others The National Sustainable Development Strategy 2010-21 (NSDS) calls to put in place investment schemes and social security schemes for returnee migrant workers. The Government is also committed to fight human trafficking across Bangladesh borders and “The Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Ordinance” has been approved in 2011. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Cambodia

Trends and characteristics of labour migration Domestic and cross-border migration has been one of the most significant transformational changes in Cambodian society over the last 15 years and is set to continue. Demographic and social transformations, steady urbanization, structural changes in land use and land management, improved spatial connectivity and regional economic integration have spurred labour migration in all its forms, being permanent, seasonal, temporary, within or outside the country. The main country of destination is Thailand where approximately 0.9 million Cambodian migrant workers are working and over 50 per cent of them are women. The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (2013) estimates that approximately 80 per cent of all migrant workers to Malaysia were engaged as female domestic workers. At the macro level, the World Bank estimated the annual inwards remittance at USD 200 million in 2005 (3.2 percent of the annual GDP), with a sharp increase to USD 364 million in 2010 (3.2 percent of the annual GDP). However remittances inflows have shown a steady decrease in the two following years (USD354 million and USD256 million in 2011 and 2012 respectively). Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority - Key responsibilities - Website links Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - Contributes in the policy development and implementation in coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, facilitates the process of migration related agreements, and provides assistances to migrant workers abroad. - URL Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) - Coordinates the implementation of the Labour Migration policy in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC), and the Ministry of Interior (MOI). - URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy - Key aspects - Download Labour Migration Policy for Cambodia for 2015-2018 (2014) - The document sets out a framework from which to govern labour migration effectively, empower and protect the rights of women and men migrant workers, and enhance the impact of migration on development. - PDF Sub-decree 190 on Sending Cambodian Workers Abroad Through Private Recruitment Agencies (2011) - The sub decree is intended to govern the sending of Cambodian workers abroad, which includes the following goals: ii) market identification and provision of overseas jobs for Cambodian workers; ii) Improved living conditions; iii) safety of Cambodian workers abroad; iv) development of human resources; v) Implementation of the government policy on poverty reduction. - PDF 8 Prakas affiliated with Sub-decree 190 - The 8 Prakas provide concrete guideline and policy implementation that support management of the sending of Cambodian workers abroad through private recruitment agencies (PRA). Those include the Use of Term, Recruitment Process and Pre-Departure Orientation Training, PRA, Complaint Mechanism, Inspection on PRA, Penalty and Reward, On Site Service of the PRA and Repatriation, and Promulgation of Minimum Standards of Job Placement Services Abroad Contract. - Prakas 045 Prakas 046 Prakas 047 Prakas 249 Prakas 250 Prakas 251 Prakas 252 Prakas 253 Cambodia Labour Law (1997) - The law governs relations between employers and workers resulting from employment contracts to be performed within Cambodia, regardless of where the contract was made and what the nationality and residences of the contracted parties are. - PDF Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs on Labour Migration - Republic of Korea (2006); Japan (2007); Kuwait (2009); Qatar (2011); Singapore (2012); Thailand (2015); Timor Leste (2016) Specific to domestic workers - Saudi Arabia (2016); Malaysia (2015) Good practices Thematic area - Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework - Sub-decree 190 along with the 8 Prakas were promulgated in order to facilitate the management of the sending of Cambodian workers abroad through private recruitment agencies. The government has recently developed or updated a number of migration management policies. It adopted its first National Policy on Labour Migration in 2010, and this was updated for the period 2015 – 2018. Strategic provisions related to migration management were included in the National Population Policy (2015) as well as the National Employment Policy (2014 – 2018). Skills & Qualification Recognition - The MoLVT is working on the draft policy on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) that will include Recognition for Prior Learning, which might draw participation from migrant returnees who process some skills from their experiences. Ethical Recruitment - Article 22 of Sub-decree 190 states that all advertisements of the recruitment agencies shall be appropriate and comprehensive according to the facts regarding selection requirements, working conditions and benefits to be entitled during the employment without lying or cover-up. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment - Article 20 and 21 of Sub-degree 190 states that the recruitment agencies shall provide workers with information on communication means, address and telephone numbers for contacting the Cambodian embassy or representative mission to the receiving country and the MoVLT during the pre-departure orientation training. The recruitment agencies shall be responsible for the working conditions and living conditions before recruiting workers for overseas work such as types of work, workplace, working hours, skills, salary, benefits, health insurance, accommodation, transport, security and safety within the working and accommodation areas. Remittances - The most reliable and preferred money transfer is via a bank. However, most Cambodian migrants working in Thailand send money home through a private agent. The agent will contact an agent in Cambodia who will inform the recipient household directly or through a relative or the village chief. The Cambodian agent will then arrange a meeting with a family member. The migrant pays the amount to be transferred to the agent in Thailand, while at the same time the agent in Cambodia will give the money to a family member. (ILO, 2010) Labour Market Analysis - The National Employment Agency (NEA) in close coordination with MoLVT provides updated information on labour market, vacancy announcement and training opportunity. Major means of information dissemination include MoLVT Website and Facebook, NEA Website and Job Centers at the provincial setting. Others - Migrant Resource Centers (MRCs) in six provinces (Battambang, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Banteay Meanchey, Kampot and Kampong Thom) and one MRC located in MoLVT (run by Department of Employment and Manpower) play important roles in collecting, producing and disseminating information on safe and legal migration with relevant stakeholders working on protection of migrant workers and potential migrant workers from labour exploitation, providing rights-based counselling and support services to migrant workers and potential migrant workers on safe and legal migration. In addition, the MRC within the MoLVT also provides complaint mechanism services related to migrant workers. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

China

Trends and characteristics of labour migration There are three main categories of labour migrants for overseas employment: 1) those employed by Chinese companies on contracted projects overseas; 2) those who are placed by Chinese enterprises to work in enterprises overseas; 3) and those who migrate individually by using the services of an overseas employment agency. The majority of Chinese migrant workers belong to either the first or the second category, and individual labour migrants are still minority. While China ranks second in the world as the remittance receiving county (the country received 63.9 USD billions in 2015; World Bank), given the significant size of the national economy, the personal remittances represent only 0.3% of the GDP (World Bank, 2014). While the proportion to GDP is marginal, the remittances inflow has greatly contributed to improving rural livelihoods, especially in the densely populated interior provinces. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs, MOFCOM Policy formation/ implementation on multilateral and regional trade and economic cooperation; management of economic and technical cooperation with UN and other international organizations URL Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) (Responsibilities relevant to overseas employment): guide the work of credit rating of enterprises engaged in foreign labor services cooperation; undertake multilateral and bilateral cooperation involving outward investment and economic cooperation; lead the work related to the protection of the rights and interests of dispatched workers. URL China International Contractors Association (CHINCA) National organization of Chinese international project investors, contractors, labor service companies and related service providers. URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Exit-Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (Order No. 57 of the President of the People's Republic of China, 2012) The Law regulates the exit and entry of Chinese citizens as well as those of foreign nationals. PDF Regulations on Management of Foreign Labor Service Cooperation (2012) The Regulations are formulated to standardize the foreign labor service cooperation, ensure the legitimate interests of labor service personnel and promote the healthy development of foreign labor service cooperation. - URL The Legal Rights and Interests of Overseas Labourers Notice (1998) The government Notice issued in order to strengthen the protection of legal rights and interests of overseas labors and avoid any damages. URL Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Cooperation MoUs on labour cooperation - Confidential Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework The management of labor service personnel to go to other countries or regions and work for foreign enterprises and organizations shall be according to Regulations on Management of Foreign Labor Service Cooperation. The management of expatriates working abroad under overseas contracted engineering projects shall be according to Regulations on Management of Overseas Contracted Engineering Project and provisions of competent commerce department of the State Council and competent housing and urban-rural construction department thereof. Measures for management of foreign labor service cooperation by means of assigning sailors (excluding fishery crew) to foreign countries will be separately formulated by competent traffic and transportation department of the State Council in accordance with Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on Seamen and relevant provisions of these Regulations. Skills & Qualification Recognition Training Certificate for Overseas Chinese Workers Pre-departure orientation & empowerment Under the Regulations on Management of Foreign Labour Service Cooperation, which came into effect on 1 August 2012, the Foreign Labor Service Cooperation Enterprise are required to arrange service personnel to receive trainings on professional skill, safety precaution knowledge and foreign language necessary for working abroad as well as relevant laws, religion and social customs of the country or district where the employing project is located. Labour Market Analysis China International Contractors Association issues an annual report on China international labour cooperation. Publication and Reports Name of publication/ reports Year of publication Download Annual Report on China International Labour Cooperation Yearly Undownloadable /about-the-colombo-process/members/

India

Trends and characteristics of labour migration India has actively experienced mixed waves of migration flows ranging from emigration, transit and immigration for more than five decades. It is a major source country of high-skilled, low or semi-skilled manpower to several economies in the world. In the Gulf nations, the majority of Indian migrants are engaged in low or semi-skilled occupations. However, in developed countries of the north, most migrants are engaged in jobs belonging to the high-skilled category. Members of the Indian diaspora in countries, such as the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia hold prominent positions in society and politics. While emerging as a major source country of skilled migrants to various parts of the world, it also acts as a transit country for migrants from Asian countries, such as Nepal and Bangladesh who are bound to Gulf and Europe. Indian Diaspora is the second largest in the world, comprising of 25 million people spread over 130 countries today (OECD). Over the recent years, remittances received particularly from Asian countries and North America have grown steadily from USD 121 million in 1970 to USD 70.39 billion in 2014, representing 3.4% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and making India the global lead in remittance receiving (World Bank, 2014). Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Department of Overseas Indian Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs Provision of information, partnerships and facilitation for all matters related to Overseas Indians in four service areas: Diaspora Services; Financial Services; Emigration Services; Management Services. URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Emigration Amendments Rules 2009 Included new provisions on: recruitment agent may represent the employer with a power of attorney; requirement for recruitment agencies to register with the registering authority. PDF Emigration Act 1983 Sets up procedures for overseas employment, both for potential migrants (Emigration Clearance) and recruitment agencies (Certificate). PDF Passports Act, 1967 The Passports Act provides for the issue of passports and travel documents to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India and other persons and for matters incidental or ancillary thereto n/a India’s Foreigners Act, 1946 The Act confers upon the Central Government certain powers in respect of the entry of foreigners into India, their presence therein and their departure there from. It extends to the whole of India. The Central Government may, by order, make provisions with respect to all foreigners for prohibiting, regulating or restricting the entry of foreigners into India or their departure therefrom or their presence or continued presence therein. n/a Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration Memorandums of Understanding on Labour Migration - Qatar (1985; 2007); Jordan (1988); UAE (2006; 2011; 2014); Kuwait (2007); Oman (2008); Malaysia (2009); Bahrain (2009); Saudi Arabia (2014) Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Skills and Entrepreneurship, Government of India and National Qualifications Authority of United Arab Emirates (UAE)on cooperation for Skill development and mutual recognition of qualifications – 2016 Specific to domestic workers - Saudi Arabia (2012) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Skills & Qualification Recognition The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) was launched in 2013 in order to organize all qualifications related to knowledge, skills and aptitude in a rank of 10 levels. Ethical Recruitment India has taken several policy measures since 2007 for the protection and welfare of Indian female domestic workers to GCC countries for employment, including the requirement of the provision of bank guarantee of US$ 2,500 from a foreign employer to the Indian Embassy. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment An Overseas Workers Resource Centre (OWRC) operates a 24-hour/7-day a week helpline in vernacular languages. OWRC provides information on recruitment agencies, and responds and monitors complaints from migrant workers. Remittances The Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana is operated as a voluntary co-contribution scheme that provides Pension, Savings and Insurance support for labour migrants. Others Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana (PBBY) insurance policy is specially designed for Indian emigrants who are abroad on a valid visa for purposes of employmentThe policy covers a minimum sum of INR. 1 Million payable to the nominee/legal heir in the event of death or permanent disability of any Indian emigrant who goes abroad for employment purposes after obtaining emigration clearance from the concerned Protector of Emigrants (POE). The validity of the policy is for a minimum period of two years or the actual period of employment contract, whichever is longer. Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has established in the 43 Indian Missions across the world in countries that have a significant overseas Indian population. The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) is aimed at providing ‘on site' welfare services on a means tested basis in the most deserving cases including, Boarding and lodging for distressed overseas Indian workers in Household / domestic sectors and unskilled labourers, Extending emergency medical care to the overseas Indians in need, Providing air passage to stranded overseas Indians in need, Providing initial legal assistance to the overseas Indians in deserving cases, Expenditure on incidentals and for airlifting the mortal remains to India or local cremation/burial of the deceased overseas Indian in such cases where a sponsor is unable or unwilling to do so as per the contract and the family is unable to meet the cost. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Indonesia

Trends and characteristics of labour migration Migration from Indonesia has been a constant in the story of the country but labour migration has significantly increased in the last twenty years. Malaysia is the main destination for Indonesian labour migrants, followed by the Middle East Region and Singapore. Indonesia is one of the largest countries of origin of female migrant workers who are employed as domestic workers and caregivers, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Most of labour migrants are unskilled and male migrants usually work in agriculture, construction, manufacturing and service sectors. Remittances from Indonesian workers abroad have grown rapidly in the recent years and with an inflow of 8.5 billion USD, Indonesia ranks as the second largest recipient in Southeast Asia, after the Philippines (World Bank, 2014). However, compared to the large scale of the Indonesia’s economy, remittances represent only 1% of the GDP (World Bank, 2014). The share of remittances sent through informal channels and brought back in cash and gifts is still significant even though banking channel is growing as a formal remittance system. Remittances are mostly used for fulfilling daily needs such as food, education and health and in some circumstances for investment such as house, land and small business. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Manpower, Republic of Indonesia Issuing regulation on labour migration; monitoring the quality of the training centers for overseas workers owned by private recruitment agencies through its Directorate of Employment Observation. URL National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) Operation and implementation of the placement of Indonesian overseas workers (specifically G-to-G scheme) and protection of all overseas workers; Provision of pre-departure orientations. URL Key legislation and policy Indonesia has several regulations pertaining to placement and protection of migrant workers, relevant with Indonesian government effort to establish improved recruitment and placement procedures as well as to provide better protection through improvement of current Law. Media Center Legislation/ policy - Key aspects - Download Ministry of Manpower Regulations No 24/2014 regarding amendment to PER.10/MEN/V/2009 on the Procedures of Granting, Renewal and Revocation of Licenses of Private Recruitment Agency - The Recruitment Agency who has been punished with an administrative sanction in which their Recruitment License (SIPPTKI) being revoked, the person in charge (PIC) of this Recruitment Agency could not be elected as person in charge in another Recruitment Agency for next 5 year. - n/a Ministry of Manpower Regulations No 23/2014 on the Procedures of Return from Destination Country to Place of Origin for Indonesian Migrant Workers - Regulating the procedure of the return from destination country to their place of origin. This regulation is permitting migrant worker to return by them self without the assistance of the government or agency. Before their departure, the migrant worker should report their departure to the Indonesian Embassy in destination countries. BNP2TKI should record the return of migrant worker by coordinating with Indonesian Embassy. - n/a Ministry of Manpower Regulations No 22/2014 on Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers. - This Ministerial Regulation was the amendment of the Ministerial regulation No 14/2010 on Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers Every Recruitment Agency should have SIP (Surat Izin Rekrut – Recruitment License) issued by BNP2TKI Migrant workers candidate should have a competence license issued by BNSP Cost Structure; migrant worker candidate will have to pay the document fee, medical and psychological examination, job training and competency license/certificate, working visa, accommodation and consumption during their job training, air fare ticket and airport tax, local transportation from their home to the training center, insurance. - n/a Ministry of Manpower Regulations No 1/2012 regarding amendment to Per.07/MEEN/V/2010 on Migrant Workers Insurance - Regulating the insurance claim process and requirement. In addition, this regulation also stated that if the migrant worker passed away, the government will provide their family with life insurance with the amount IDR. 75.000.000 - n/a Presidential Regulation No. 81/2006 on the National Authority for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers - National Authority for the placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Worker is the main government body who mandated on placement and protection of Indonesian worker. This National Authority composed of the representative of government agencies which responsible on the placement and protection of Indonesian workers abroad. - n/a Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration Regulations No 04/MEN/II/2005 on Implementation of the Pre-departure Briefing of Indonesian Migrant Workers Abroad, - Pre Departure Orientation (PDO) shall be conducted maximum 2 days before the worker departed. There are 2 mandatory session: 1) Law and Regulation in Destination Country and 2) Working Contract. In addition this PDO session also has several compulsory sessions that are: 1) Custom, 2) Culture, 3) The Dangerous of Drug and HIV/AIDS, 4) Risk of Migration in Destination Countries, 5) Remittance, 6) Mental Development and 7) Awareness on the travel document and travel arrangement. - n/a Law No. 39/2004 on Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers Abroad (amendment in progress) - Indonesian migrant workers are allowed to a destination country whose government has entered into a written agreement with the Government of Indonesia, or which has legislation protecting foreign workers - PDF Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration Memorandums of Understanding on labour migration - Jordan (2001); Taiwan Province of PRC (2004, 2008); United Arab Emirates (2007; 2010); Republic of Korea (2010); Saudi Arabia (2014)14) Specific to domestic workers - Jordan (2009); Malaysia (2006; additional protocol 2011) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework Ratification of the UN Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Their Families in 2012 through its national law of Law No. 6/2012. This obliges the government to include the human rights protection approach towards migrant workers and their families into the Labour Migration Law. Skills & Qualification Recognition Badan Nasional Sertifikasi Profesi (BNSP) or National Authority for Professional Certification is a leading agency under the President responsible to provide certification for personnel and professionals, including migrant workers, for employment. Ethical Recruitment The Ministry of Manpower with assistance from IOM developed an SOP to improve migrant workers recruitment monitoring through the renewal of the private recruitment agency’s licensing. The SOP has been handed to the Ministry and will be officially enacted soon. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment BNP2TKI acts as leading agency on pre departure orientation services, serving ten hours a day of the orientation with provision of five modules containing: national and host country’s law and regulations, working contract, host country’s culture, personality development and drugs, HIV/AIDS and contagious disease. The agency with assistance from IOM has improved the training modules set to give the trainers the revised handbook. BNP2TKI has recently issued the new Chairman Regulation No 06/2016 on the Pre Departure Orientation for Migrant Workers Candidate Working in South Korea. Remittances The Indonesian Central Bank (Bank Indonesia) regulates international money transfers to prevent illegal/illicit remittances used as well as the promotion of the use of formal remittance channels for migrants to make remittances. Labour Market Analysis The Ministry of Manpower has a dedicated unit called Labour Market Directorate under the Directorate General on Development of Workers Placement and Expansion of Employment Opportunities. The Directorate has /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Nepal

Trends and characteristics of labour migration The number of labour migrants leaving Nepal continues to increase since the liberalization on mobility in 1990. The top destinations to which Nepalese migrate include Malaysia, the Gulf countries and the Republic of Korea. The Nepali labour migrants have predominantly been men; however, there has been a significant increase in the number of permits acquired by women over the past years. Women are mainly employed as domestic workers while man work in sectors such as construction, hospitality and security guards. The number of labour migrants is increasing every year and so is the scale of remittances they send back. Recorded remittance inflows reached 29.2% of GDP in 2014 (World Bank), which makes Nepal among the top 10 countries by remittance share of GDP. The vast majority of total remittances are used for daily consumption and in some case for loans repayment. Characteristics Foreign employment is indeed the most significant motivation for international migration from Nepal in the twenty - first century. More than 3.8 million permits to work abroad (excluding India) were issued by the Government during the 1993/94 – 2014/15 fiscal years, which represents almost 14 per cent of the current population. As well, according to the recent census data (2011), nearly 71 per cent of the total absent population (1,921,494), or people living out of the country (including living in India) cited private and institutional jobs abroad as the reasons for leaving Destinations Labour permits issued over the period of (2008/09-2014/15) to 110 countries is 33.3 per cent were for employment in Malaysia, followed by Qatar (at 19 per cent), Saudi Arabia (18.9 per cent), United Arab Emirates (9.8 per cent), Kuwait (2.5 per cent), Bahrain (0.9 per cent) and Oman (0.6 per cent). Among the other remaining popular countries and territories are Afghanistan, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon and Macau (China) and new emerging destination are Mauritius, Democratic Republic of Congo, Seychelles and Uzbekistan. Sectors The majority of the Nepali male migrants are serving in the service, manufacturing, construction, hospitality, security and agricultural sector and domestic and care giver sector with regards to women migrants. Trends of Female Migration The top-ten destinations for female labour migrants in the past seven fiscal years are United Arab Emirates (25,916 permits issued), Malaysia (23,427 permits issued), Kuwait (17,685 permits issued), Qatar (6,179 permits issued), Lebanon (4,164 permits issued), Cyprus (2,871 permits issued), Saudi Arabia (2,646 permits issued), Oman (2,538 permits), Republic of Korea (2,241 permits issued) and Bahrain (1,848 permits issued). Most of the labour permits renewed by female migrants were for the United Arab Emirates (at 37.8 percent), followed by Kuwait (28.6 per cent), Israel (at 8.8 per cent), Lebanon (5.6 per cent) and Oman (3.9 per cent). Media Center Trends of Remittance Subsequently, there has been a huge increase in the inflow of remittances, from 58.6 billion rupees (NPR) in 2003/04 to NPR589.5 billion in 2014/15. Remittances contributed a 29 percentage share of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2003/04 and 27.7 per cent in 2014/15. The remittance flow, therefore, is a major contributor to development financing in Nepal. Mechanisms for Remitting Money to Nepal There are four key mechanisms for remitting money to Nepal through banks, remittance transfer companies and hundi (informal transfer through people) and hand carry. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Labour and Employment (MOLE) Labour administration and management, including regulating foreign employment URL Department of Foreign Employment (DOFE) Migrant workers’ rights, control and approval of recruiting agencies, issue of “labour approval” for foreign employment URL Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB), MOLE Promotion of foreign employment business; protection of the rights and interests of workers and foreign employment entrepreneurs. Duties and functions are stipulated in Section 38 of the “Foreign Employment Act, 2064 (2007)”. URL Foreign Employment Tribunal (FET) To handle and settle Foreign Employment cases related to fraud, human trafficking n/a Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Foreign Employment Policy 2012 The objective of the policy is to provide knowledge and skill based training to Nepalese human resources to develop skilled, empowered and competitive as per demand of international market creating safe, organized and respectable environment for foreign employment. PDF Foreign Employment Act, 2007. In order to better protect migrant workers, it sets out rules for recruitment agencies, establishes a bank guarantee system and a welfare fund. PDF The Foreign Employment Regulation, 2008 The regulation sets out rules for licensing institutions that carry out foreign employment business and approval and selection of workers for foreign empowerment. PDF National Strategic Action Plan on Foreign Employment 2015 To implement the policy and acts and regulations n/a Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs on Labour Migration - Qatar (2005; 2009); Rep. of Korea (2007); UAE (2007); Bahrain (2008); Japan (2009). The Government is also taking into consideration signing labour agreements with Oman, Lebanon and Malaysia. Specific to domestic workers - Israel (G to G) for care givers (domestic workers) Saudi Arabia (specific to domestic workers in the pipeline) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework Free Visa Free Ticket, Zeroing the cost of migration, GCC and Malaysia: Free-visa-free-ticket is a newly enforced provision of the Government of Nepal that came into effect from July 8, 2016. It basically obligates the employers from labour receiving countries to bear cost of visa processing and air ticket. Ethical Recruitment In April 2015, the Government endorsed and implemented a new guideline on recruitment process of domestic workers in foreign employment. The MOLE has developed a Standard Operating Procedures to monitor the Recruitment Agencies and the Pre-departure Orientation Training Centers Pre-departure orientation & empowerment The MRC at FEPB in Kathmandu functions as a central level MRC which links the existing MRCs across the nation. It acts as an information repository as well as facilitates the process by which MRCs across the nation have standardized relevant information service to potential migrant workers. FEPB provides two types of community level orientations: one orientation focuses on introduction of labour migration, its benefits and risks, and migrant workers’ rights, and another one is pre-decision training to enable potential migrants to assess their situations before making a decision on migration for employment. The MOLE has developed a pre-departure orientation curriculum and provides PDO classes for free for the women migrant workers. Remittances The 2012 Foreign Employment Policy established a dedicated Labour Bank which would offer subsidized loans to potential migrants to cover departure costs and a remittance account. Others Foreign Employment Tribunal (2010) deals with cases related to foreign employment in an expeditious manner. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Pakistan

Trends and characteristics of labour migration Pakistan has a long history of out-migration and destination countries are as diverse as over 50 countries. While Pakistan has large diaspora populations in some OECD countries, the majority of low-skilled and semi-skilled labourers, predominantly men, migrate to GCC countries for temporarily work, with Saudi Arabia being the top destination, followed by UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. Female labour migrants are estimated to be very low, and women under 35 years are required permission from the government to work overseas (The UN Asia-Pacific Regional Cooperation Mechanism Thematic Working Group on International Migration including Human Trafficking, 2012). Labour migration has been a major source of financial contributions to Pakistan’s economy and remittances, which account for 7% of GDP (World Bank, 2014), represent the second largest source of foreign exchange after exports of the country. A system of financial incentives has been introduced for banks and other money transfer agents to encourage migrant workers to use formal channels to transfer their overseas earnings. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Promote welfare of Overseas Pakistanis; resolve grievances/problems of Overseas Pakistanis; formulate progressive Emigration Policy. URL Bureau Of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) Control and regulate emigration and promote the interests and welfare of Pakistani migrant workers. URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Emigration Ordinance 1979 It aims to promote overseas employment and protect migrant workers. The recruitment process is subject to a licensing requirement. PDF Emigration Rules 1979 The rules define powers and duties of government positions responsible for overseas employment matters including protection of migrant workers. PDF National Policy for Overseas Pakistanis 2013 The policy focuses on maximizing welfare and empowerment of Pakistani diaspora working abroad. n/a Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs on Labour Migration - Qatar (1978, 2008); Kuwait (1995); Jordan (2006); Malaysia (2006); UAE (2006); Rep. of Korea (2008); Bahrain (2014) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Pre-departure orientation & empowerment The Migrant Resource Centre provides multifarious services to potential and intended migrant workers including counseling, pre-departure orientation and dissemination of information on safe and legal ways of migration. Specific pre-departure orientations for migrant workers proceeding to Malaysia and the Republic of Korea have been designed to familiarize migrants with laws, culture and work place of these two destination countries. Remittances Several schemes of remittance transfers have been introduced to encourage remittances through formal channels (i.e. exemptions on custom duties). Others BE&OE and the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan provides overseas migrants with group insurance. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has established 19 offices of Community Welfare Attaches (CWAs,) in 16 Pakistan Diplomatic Missions in 14 countries to better assist Pakistani migrant workers and promote their welfare. In 2014 Overseas Pakistan Foundation (OPF) has signed a MoU with Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) for extending health facilities to overseas Pakistanis and their families on discounted rates in the province of Punjab. The OPF Pension Scheme for Overseas Pakistanis was launched in 2001 to provide pension benefits to Pakistanis living abroad. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Philippines

Trends and characteristics of labour migration Over 10.4 million Filipino migrants live and work in diverse occupational categories in over 224 countries and territories around the world. Through nearly four decades, the Philippines has emerged as one of the top origin countries of labour migrants where overseas employment has become an enduring feature of the country’s economy. Some 1.8 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) left the Philippines in 2014 alone for overseas employment, of which more than 400,000 were Filipino seafarers who account for 30% share in world seafaring. The Gulf Region continues to host more than 45% of the Philippines’ land-based OFWs, with largest proportions working in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. In 2015, female OFWs accounted for 51% of all migrant workers and were mostly employed in domestic work, nursing, sales and in factories. Male OFWs, accounting for 48.9% of all migrant workers were mostly employed in construction, operations and maintenance, manufacturing and other service industries. An estimated 33.2% of OFWs are unskilled workers while 9.5% are professionals and middle level skills and technicians (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2015). The recruitment industry consists of approximately of 1000 recruitment and manning agencies, generally organized according to specific markets and occupational specializations to which they cater. The Philippines is the top remittance receiving country in Southeast Asia with an annual remittance inflow of USD 28.4 billion in 2014, accounting for 10% of the GDP (World Bank, 2014). Education, shelter, health and consumption are the top absorbers of remittance spending. As part of its overall financial inclusion policy, the Philippines has adopted a number of incentives to encourage remittances and harness its development potential through measures such as the provision of savings and investment facilities, financial literacy training for remitters and dependents and provision of tax incentives. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) Formulates and implements policies and programs, and serve as the policy-advisory arm of the Executive Branch in the field of labor and employment. URL Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Promulgates and Implements policies and programmes to regulate recruitment, accredit foreign employers, document OFW’s , adjudicate recruitment or employment conflicts , negotiate bilateral agreements. URL Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) An OFW membership institution attached to DOLE, OWWA administers the Welfare Fund to protect and promote the welfare of OFWs and their dependents through its 31 overseas posts in 27 countries and regional presence. URL National Reintegration Center for OFW Manages, coordinates and implements national reintegration programs for OFW. URL Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Provides direction, policies, programs and standards towards quality technical education and skills development. URL Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Promoting programs and policy to strengthen and empower the Overseas Filipino permanent migrant community. URL Media Center Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Republic Act No. 8042: Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 (amended in 2007 and 2010). Aims at enhancing the protection of migrant workers and their families through a comprehensive framework from the recruitment process to assistance to migrants in distress. n/a Republic Act No. 10022 Act amending Republic Act No. 8042 to further improve the standard of protection and promotion of welfare of Filipino Migrant Workers, their families and overseas Filipinos in distress. PDF Omnibus rules and regulations implementing the migrant workers and overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022 Implementing Rules and Regulations for Republic Act No. 8042, as amended by Republic Act No. 10022. PDF POEA Rules and Regulations Governing the Recruitment and Employment of Land-based Overseas Workers Aims to promote and protect rights of Filipino migrant workers through regulation of recruitment, enforcement of decent terms and conditions of work; accreditation of foreign entities hiring Filipinos; full documentation of OFW’s leaving for overseas work; enforcement of sanctions against illegal recruiters & abusive employers; provision of legal assistance, pre-employment orientation, government placement, conciliation & mediation facilities, & other services. n/a Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs on Labour Migration - USA (1968); Papua New guinea (1979); Jordan (1981, 1988, 2010); Iraq (1982); Kuwait (1997; 2012); Qatar (1997; 2008); Norway (2001); UK (2002); Switzerland (2002); Bahrain (2003; 2007); Indonesia (2003); Japan (2003); Taiwan Province of PRC (2003); Rep. of Korea (2004, 2005, 2006, 2009; 2011); Laos (2005); Libya (2006); Spain (2006); UAE (2007); Canadian provinces (2008); New Zealand (2008); Lebanon (2012); Saudi Arabia (2013); Specific to domestic workers Jordan (2012) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework The law (Republic Act No. 10022) mandates that Filipino workers only be deployed to countries with which the Philippines “has concluded bilateral labour agreements or arrangements” and “guarantee to protect the rights of Filipino migrant workers,” as well as “observe and/or comply with the international laws and standards for migrant workers”. The migrant workers – land based, seafarer and women workers – are represented in the Governing Board of the POEA as well as in the Board of Trustees of the OWWA. These are policy making bodies of the key institutions managing overseas employment. Skills & Qualification Recognition The Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) – as a national policy- sets up the national standards and levels for outcomes of education and training, skills and competencies and aims to support international mobility increasing recognition of the value and comparability of Philippine qualifications. Ethical Recruitment Private employment agencies are subjected to rigid requirements before obtaining a license which includes completion of orientation course, capitalization, posting of performance bonds, inspection of recruitment facilities, and character verification of officers & staff. Recruiters’ performance is subject to an organized monitoring system, with a table of sanctions for violators. Recruitment industry is organized into associations, represented in the POEA Governing Board, has a compact on ethical recruitment with government and served as the first Chair of OESPAAA (Alliance of Asian Associations of Overseas Employment Service Providers) Recruiters with clean records and notable performance are given awards, & other incentives. A licensed recruitment agency assumes joint and several liability (JSL) with their foreign principal or foreign employer, in virtue of the law on agency. This JSL empowers an aggrieved migrant worker with an option to file a case in Philippine courts should a case fail to prosper through the court system of the destination country or the foreign employer does not cooperate to address the complaint of the worker. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment Since 1982 the Philippines have implemented a free Pre-departure Orientation Session (PDOS) for migrant workers which has been expanded by two other information programs: the pre-employment seminar (PEOS) and the post-arrival orientation seminar (PAOS). The Philippines maintains the presence of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices or POLO’s as well as the Filipino Workers Resource Centers (FWRC) in some 37 major destinations of Filipino workers to ensure the provision of onsite assistance and welfare services. These facilities are co-funded from the OWWA Welfare Fund programme and annual government budget appropriations. Remittances Remittance service providers are given slot in the PDOS to orient OFWs how to remit their earnings through the banks. Financial literacy training is being undertaken at different levels (at pre-departure, post arrival and return; to migrants & their families, in school, at community and workplace, by the government, private sector and the civil society) to provide orientation on savings and different paths to investments. Labour Market Analysis Labour attaches have the obligation to monitor market development, to feed into policy pronouncements, disseminate to the private recruitment industry, or as points for labour market negotiations Industry forum is periodically held for labour market practitioners to articulate their analysis of the market situation and deliberate on market issues such as skills competitiveness, efficiency and integrity of recruitment, pre-departure orientation and medical examination. Proactive in analyzing effects of economic recession, global or regional financial crisis, downfall in the price of petroleum income and resultant business retrenchments –how they all impact on the Philippines stronghold in the market. Others A number of special funds, other than the membership-based Welfare fund, is appropriated by government as follows: Legal Assistance Fund (to cover legal counsel and representation costs in foreign courts) and Emergency Repatriation Fund. Along with the mandatory insurance covering migrant workers and the liability of foreign employers to assume the cost of repatriation during times of crisis and emergency, the Repatriation Fund is a resource recourse made available especially in times of the need for mass repatriation. A special displacement assistance grant is also made available by the National Reintegration Center for OFWs. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Sri Lanka

Trends and characteristics of labour migration International labour migration from Sri Lanka has constantly increased in the last two decades and about 25 percent of the total Sri Lankan labour force in 2010 was employed abroad. Most of the Sri Lankan overseas workers are concentrated in low skilled categories, with the vast majority of females employed as the domestic housemaids predominantly in the Middle East. Even though the share of female migrant workers has fallen from approximately 75 per cent of the total departures in 1997 to 37 per cent in 2014 (Ministry of Foreign Employment, 2016), they still represent an important quota of the overseas workers. The Middle Eastern region is the top destination area which absorbs male migrants mainly in the construction and service sectors. Furthermore, in 2013, a majority of female migrant workers were employed as Domestic Housekeeping Assistants in the Middle East, with approximately 33 % of all female migrant workers being employed in this category (Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, 2015). In line with the migration tends, the country has been experiencing a surge in remittances inflows, which account for 8.9 percent of the GDP in 2014 (World Bank). Continued increase in remittances over the years has contributed to increasing national savings, reducing the savings-investment gap (Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2014). Worker remittances have exceeded the earnings of the main agricultural and industrial export. While there are no reliable data on informal money transfer system, a significant amount of remittance flow remains unrecorded. Foreign employment contributes to national development in various ways. Remittances, which have contributed to support Sri Lanka’s Balance of Payments (BOP), are spent mainly in housing, education and to start up small business. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Foreign Employment (MFE) Formulation and implementation of policies, programmes and projects for Foreign Employment industry; Promotion of Foreign Employment Welfare of migrant workers; Regulation and Supervision of Employment Agencies. URL Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Licensing of Recruitment Agencies, Registration and Training of Migrant Workers, Complaint Management System, Law Enforcement, Marketing and Research, Migrant Workers Welfare URL Sri lanka Foreign Employment Agency (SLFEA) A 100% government owned institution, and a subsidiary of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency was established in 1996. Its main aim is to provide an efficient and appropriate service to those seeking employment abroad, and serve as the primary recruitment agency in the country URL Media Center Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy - Key aspects - Download Sub policy on Return and Re-integration of Migrant Workers –Sri lanka (2015) - The sub-policy complements the National Labour Migration Policy and covers: social reintegration, economic reintegration, physical and psychological wellbeing of returnees and their family members, mobilization and empowerment of migrant returnees, and the effective management of the return and reintegration process. - PDF Sri Lanka National Migration Health Policy (2012) - Recognizes the needs of out-bound, internal and in-bound migrant populations and includes policy responses and a detailed action plan of strategies and actions to address these needs. - PDF National Labour Migration Policy for Sri Lanka (2009) - It is focused on three major areas: governance of the migration process, protection and empowerment of migrant workers and their families, and linking migration and development processes. - PDF Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Act of 1985 - Establishes the SLBFE, sets out licensing requirements for foreign recruitment agencies and establishes a Workers’ Welfare Fund - PDF Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs on Labour Migration - UAE (2007); Qatar (2008); Libya (2008); Jordan (2006); Bahrain (2008); Republic of Korea (2004,2010); Italy (2011); Oman (2012; 2014); Kuwait (2012); Seychelles (2012); Saudi Arabia (2014) Specific to domestic workers Saudi Arabia (2014) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework The national Labour Migration policy is a comprehensive framework which aims to promote opportunities for all migrant workers through the institution of policies, laws, regulations, services and facilities for migrant workers and their families. Services are provided at pre-departure stage, during the permanence abroad –trough Sri Lankan Diplomatic Mission- and for return and reintegration. Skills & Qualification Recognition In 2012 Sri Lanka established the Qualification Framework (SLQF) as a system to facilitate the qualification recognition and accreditation among different institutions across Sri Lanka. The identified levels of qualifications, their minimum entry requirements and the possible pathways of progression, facilitate the credit transfer, helps to evaluate qualification gained abroad, promoting national and international recognition at the same time. Ethical Recruitment A Code of Ethical Conduct for Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies/Licensees was approved by SLBFE in August 2013 with the intention of streamlining the practices of recruitment agents, enhancing professionalism, responsibility and accountability and promoting transparency of business activities. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment Safe Labour Migration Manual forms an information resource not only for government officers at District, Divisional and village level but also for all stakeholders working towards the empowerment and protection of migrant workers of Sri Lanka. This is an information guide targeted mainly providing information for the category of workers who are considered as low-skilled and under skilled workers such as those working in the domestic sector (housekeeping assistants, gardeners, drivers etc) and others such as factory workers and labourers. It is complete with handouts, audio-visual guides and annexes of key documents and information for greater understanding of those using it. Others The “Operational Manual for Labour Sections of Sri Lankan Diplomatic Missions in Destination Countries (1st edition and 2nd edition in 2013)” seeks to enhance and develop the competencies of labour welfare officers to handle the issues and concerns of migrant workers. The availability of procedures and programmes in written form is essential for good management and is helpful in institutionalizing and standardizing operations/procedures, which ensures a rational environment for all parties concerned. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Thailand

Trends and characteristics of labour migration Migration for overseas employment is a relatively new phenomenon for Thailand as the significant movement of Thai workers out of the country began only during the 1970s. While the top destination countries during the 1980s were those of the Gulf Region, since 1990s Asian industrialized countries/ regions such as Taiwan Province of China, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong SAR of PRC, and the Republic of Korea have emerged as the new countries of destinations. While there is a consistent number of female migrant workers employed in the domestic work sector in Asia, the large majority of Thai migrants are male and are employed in construction, manufacturing and agriculture. Even though the share of remittances to GDP is relatively small compared to the size of the Thai economy, accounting for 1.4 % of GDP in 2014 (World Bank), they represent an important source of income for Thai households who use them mainly for consumption purposes. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Labour Labour administration and protection; organize labour relation system; provide social security; skill development and promotion of employment; and the protection of job-seeker serves as the labour market information centre. URL Department of Employment (DOE) Domestic Employment Service ; Overseas Employment Administration Alien Occupational Control; Vocational Guidance and Self - Employed Promotion; And job-seeker; Protection URL Thailand Overseas Employment Administration (TOEA) Undertake the overseas employment for job-seeker; enrollment for job-seeker; organize a medical examination; skill testing; centralizing overseas employment information; administering Thai workers overseas; and facilitating overseas employment opportunities. URL Key legislation and policy Legislation/ policy Key aspects Download Employment and Job-Seekers Protection Act of B.E. 2528 (1985) Sets out criteria and conditions to be met for overseas employment; skill testing unit ; fund for job-seeker working abroad; employment development and job-seekers protection; control; penalties PDF Employment and Job-Seekers Protection Act of B.E. 2528 (1985). (amended in 1994 ) To improve the Act of B.E. 2528 (1985). by indicate - the employment development and job-seekers protection committee to give recommendation to the Minister related to policy ; measure for employment and job-seekers protection; for problems incurred in an employment for prevention and suppression of deceiving and fraud against job-seekers; Give counsels and advices and to perform other acts entrust by the Council of Ministers or the Minister. Issuance a license of skill testing of each occupation in accordance with the rules, procedure and conditions As prescribed by the Ministerial Regulations. URL Employment and Job-Seekers Protection Act of B.E. 2528 (1985).(amend in 2001) To improve the Act of B.E. 2528 (1985).by indicate to arrange and assist the job-seeker who work or going to work abroad by extending in term of duration for fund for job - seekers working abroad PDF Media Center Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs/ agreements on Labour Migration - Malaysia (2003); UAE (2007); Japan (2007) ; Qatar (2012); Korea (2016) Specific to agriculture sector Israel (2007) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Policies / Legislation framework Thailand - Israel Cooperation on the Placement of Workers (TIC). The Department of Employment of Thailand has started to send workers from the agricultural sector to Israel under the Thailand Israel Employment Cooperation (TIC) secured via an Agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This scheme benefits the workers and reduces the cost for all Thai workers overseas. Japan International Manpower Development Organization (IM Japan)-Thailand Overseas Employment Administration (TOEA) collaboration to launched an overseas training activity to enable job seekers to find training in Japan. Furthermore, IM Japan assists in the employment of returned trainees through programmes that are organized and held by Thailand. The Ministry of Labour of the Kingdom of Thailand and The Ministry of Employment and Labour Of the Republic of Korea has collaborated to send Thai Workers to the Republic of Korea under the Employment (EPS). This program reduces the cost for Thai Workers and enlarge the cooperation. Skills & Qualification Recognition A National Qualifications Framework has been recently approved in order to encourage the transfer of study units and credits and promote the moving of students and of labour. Ethical Recruitment The Monitoring and Operating of the Recruitment Agencies: Steps and procedures for recruitment agencies” have been formulated to protect workers and monitor performance of the agencies to ensure a good practices. These are as follows: To apply for a license to set up an overseas recruitment agency, the applying agency must have a capital of at least one million baht, and submit a cash guarantee, bond or surety from the bank with a deposit of at least five million baht to the Central Registrar of the DOE In the process of overseas placement, the licensed recruitment agency must request a permission from the DOE prior to recruitment of workers or advertising of job vacancy. The recruitment agency is responsible for the worker’s physical examination, skill testing (if required), pre-departure orientation, and submissions of name list and details of working places overseas to the authorities in Thailand. The licensed recruitment agencies are responsible for all expenses on the part of worker resulting from violation of contract committed by employer. In addition, the agency must give a refund to the worker if the agency fails to provide another job placement to the worker in accordance with the contract between the two sides, and there is no misconduct on the worker’s side. Pre-departure orientation & empowerment All Thai workers going to work overseas must attend the Pre-departure Orientation conducted by the DOE free of charge, which provides them with basic knowledge about culture, working and living conditions, employment contract, laws and regulations related to their work as well as their benefits and welfare. Licensed overseas recruitment agencies are also mandated to provide pre-departure orientation to workers. Others The hotline numbers set up by labour authorities can provide an accessible means for migrant workers to file complaints anonymously. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Viet Nam

Trends and characteristics of labour migration On average, more than 80,000 Vietnamese workers leave Viet Nam every year to work in more than 40 countries of destination. In recent years, the major destination countries include China, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and the Middle East. The migrant workers’ profiles range from a majority of low -semi skilled workers to highly skilled labourers and professionals. The share of female migrant workers is increasing and makes about 30% of the Vietnamese overseas workforce during the period 2007-2010 (Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, 2012). Remittance flow is one of the largest sources of external financing in Viet Nam and the country received USD 8.6 billion in 2011, ranking as the second top remittance receiving country in Southeast Asia (World Bank). The reason for the increasing flow of remittances to Viet Nam in recent years is due to the high number of Vietnamese migrant workers in diverse destinations, the state’s policy to encourage overseas Vietnamese to return to Viet Nam for investments, and government measures to encourage remittances (such as income tax exemptions). A large proportion of remittances has been invested in securities and real estate as well as in small business, healthcare and education. The improved quality of the banking remittance system encourages more and more migrant workers to send their earnings through formal channels. Labour migration governance Government authorities Authority Key responsibilities Website links Ministry of Labour-Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Developing overseas labour markets; providing guidelines on implementation of pre-departure training; managing license of institutions which sending workers overseas; managing the Overseas Work Assistance Fund. URL Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB), MoLISA Directly supervises labour migration of Viet Nam in coordination and cooperation with relevant departments/ agencies. URL Key legislation and policy The Government of Viet Nam issued regulations on sending laborers to work overseas for a definite period of time, grant economic organizations established and issue permits for sending labors activities, found funds to support overseas employment; and define compulsory pre-departure orientation training Media Center Legislation/ policy - Key aspects - Download Law No.72/2006/QH11 - Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad Under Contract. National Assembly. Dated 29 November, 2006. Effective July 2007. - URL Joint Circular No. 08/TTLT-BLĐTBXH-BTP - Issued by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. Instructing the content of guarantee contract and liquidating guarantee contract for workers going to work abroad. 11 July, 2007. - n/a Decision No. 18/2007/QĐ-LĐTBXH dated 18 July, 2007 - By the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Issuing the pre-departure orientation curriculum for migrant workers. - n/a Decision No. 19/2007/QĐ-LĐTBXH dated 18 July 2007 - of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. Issuing the “Regulations on the organisation of the apparatus for sending workers abroad and specialized apparatus for pre departure orientation”. - n/a Decree No. 126/2007/ND-CP dated 1 August, 2007 - Detailing and Guiding the Implementation of a Number of Articles of the Law on Vietnamese Workers under Overseas Employment Contracts. 1 August, 2007. - URL Decision No. 144/2007/QĐ-TTg dated 31 August, 2007 - of the Prime Minister on the establishment, management and use of the Fund for Overseas Employment Support. - n/a Decision No. 20/2007/QĐ-LĐTBXH dated 2 August, 2007 - of the Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Issuing certificates for pre departure orientation for workers. - n/a Joint Circular No. 16/2007/TTLT-BLĐTBXH-BTC - of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Ministry of Finance dated 4 September, 2007. Detailing the brokerage charge and service charge in sending workers to work abroad. - n/a Joint Circular No. 17/2007/TTLT-BLĐTBXH-NHNNVN dated 4 September, 2007 - of Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and State Bank of Vietnam regulating the management and use of deposit of enterprise and workers who work abroad. - n/a Bilateral agreement on Labour Migration MoUs on Labour Migration - Malaysia (2015); Rep. of Korea (2015); Thailand (2015) Good practices Thematic area Key aspects Pre-departure orientation & empowerment DoLAB inaugurated a Migration Resource Center in 2012 to provide potential migrant workers with accurate information and support services. Remittances Decision No. 170/1999/QD-TTg, and its Amendment No. 78/2002/QD-TTg, facilitate remittances from overseas Vietnamese, ensuring the interests of the senders and the receivers and expanding forms of money transfer. /about-the-colombo-process/members/

Colombo Process First Senior Officials' Meeting Concludes in Colombo

Meetings

The first Senior Officials' Meeting of the Colombo Process under Sri Lanka's chairmanship reached a successful conclusion on Wednesday 7 May in Colombo with discussion and agreement on key labour migration principles, including the promotion of cheaper, faster and safer transfer of remittances, standard employment contracts, ethical labour recruitment, and cooperation and dialogue with the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD). Media Center Established in 2003 in Colombo, the Colombo Process is a Regional Consultative Process on Labour Migration (RCP) of 11 labour sending countries from Asia comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam - all of who were represented at the meeting. The IOM, SDC and ILO were also associated with the Meeting. Sri Lanka assumed the chairmanship of the Colombo Process in October 2013. Downloads Keynote Address by Hon. Dilan Perera, Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare of Sri Lanka and Chair-in-Office of the Colombo Process Statement by Col. Nissanka N. Wijeratne, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare. Summary presentation on the Colombo Process Coordination Meetings in Geneva by Ms. Manisha Gunasekera,Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva and Chair of the Colombo Process Experts Group in Geneva Concluding Statement of the Senior Officials' Meeting 6-7 May 2014 Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Geneva 8 May 2014 /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/1-colombo-process-senior-officials-meeting-concludes-in-colombo

Statement by H. E. Ravinatha Aryasinha, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka

Statements

Hon. Thalatha Athukorala, Minister of Foreign Employment and Chair in Office of the Colombo Process, Mr. G.S. Withanage, Secretary of Minister of Foreign Employment, Distinguished representatives from Capitals of the Colombo Process (CP) Member States, and Colleagues from Geneva based Permanent Missions of the CP Member States Representatives from Swiss Development Cooperation, UAE and Nigeria, Representatives of IOM and other International Organizations, and civil society organizations Ladies & Gentlemen, Media Center It is my pleasure to address the third Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Colombo Process, which is a regional grouping of 11 countries in Asia, that have substantial numbers of their nationals working abroad, and managing contractual labour. There is an estimated overseas worker population of 45 million of Asian origin which is growing in numbers and diversity in terms of destination and source countries. Their contributions to the economies and development are increasingly becoming vital not only for their own countries but also as a catalyst for upward socio-economic mobility in the region and internationally as well. The Colombo Process seeks to provide Member States with an environment to engage in dialogue, exchange of views and cooperate on issues related to contractual labour migration for the mutual benefit of all its peoples. When Sri Lanka took over the chair of the Colombo Process from Bangladesh two years ago - to be precise, on 21 October 2013 at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva, the conventional wisdom was that Colombo Process countries in most instances being competitors, many of the issues we have to grapple with within the Colombo Process were beyond the capacity of the group, and that we would be wasting our time trying to do so. However, while having no illusion of the challenges that persist, we dismissed the notion that must necessarily be a zero-sum-game, and proceeded on the basis of 3 important principles. First, Sri Lanka took the view that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that a collective voice will be stronger than any individual voice, and in consultation with the membership of the Colombo Process evolved a 'road map' on collective actions to be undertake in the course of her chairmanship, where member countries can optimize their mutual benefit. Second, Sri Lanka was of the view that if we were to make a difference and ensure that some real benefits would accrue to the people of member countries, it was important that we seek to address the tough issues. Third, in order to benefit from the relative strengths and/or interest of member countries, it was decided to entrust the leadership of the different areas of action to member states that volunteered to do so. Sri Lanka's 'road map' for its period of Chairmanship sought to strengthen engagement between CP countries and countries of destination under the theme "International Labour Migration for Prosperity: Adding Value by Working Together". Accordingly, our primary focus identified five main areas for cooperation; Develop a Qualification Recognition Processes including transnational accreditation and monitoring Ethical Labour Recruitment Practices (including promoting Standard Employment Contracts) Effective Pre-departure Orientation & Empowerment, with an additional focus on migration and health. Promote Cheaper, Faster & Safer Transfer of Remittances Enhancing capacities of the Colombo Process participating countries to track labour market trends, to which was later added the setting up of the Colombo Process Migration Resource Centre (CPMRC) in support of CP goals. The leadership for each of these five areas was taken by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, India and Pakistan, respectively. The 1st Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) held from 6-7 May 2014 in Colombo endorsed all 5 thematic areas and focused on thematic areas III & IV (pre-departure orientation and remittances), while the 2nd SOM held on 14 October had a special focus on Thematic Area II (ethical recruitment). In the two year period of Sri Lanka's leadership, the Geneva based Colombo Process countries which serve as the year round collaborators in moving ahead this project with the support of the International Organization on Migration (IOM), have continued to meet regularly at PR level and at Expert level. For the first time in the history of the Colombo Process, we are particularly glad to have been able to include one diplomat from each of the Geneva based CP member countries in the Senior Officials Meeting. Two years on, at a time 'migrants' are largely associated as conveyors of despair and a threat in many parts of the world, we have been able ensure that they continue to remain beacons of hope and opportunity. Contrary to the conventional wisdom in leading the CP, Sri Lanka has received in full measure the support of the entire membership of the Colombo Process in the quest of betterment of our migrant work force spread across the world, and being competitors for the same markets or other national interests has not stood in our way. Sustaining this, and translating this collective will and voice of the CP in to concrete and tangible actions that leads to a future where the rights and wellbeing of our migrant workers and their families are secured even more, remains our challenge. In that context, I am glad to note that today we have several tangibles in these 5 areas to report on to this SOM on the progress already made, as well as proposals that will be further discussed with a view to work towards tangible goals, during the 5 focussed sessions on the respective thematic areas during the course of today. I wish to acknowledge the support provided in this context by the IOM and its partners supporting the work of the CP, particularly the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). On the Skills and qualification recognition process, pursuant to discussions held during the Kuwait Ministerial meeting of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) on 27 November 2014, firm linkages have been established in this area between the CP and the ADD, through an ADD-supported initiative on skills development, certification and recognition which is supported by the UAE and Kuwait, involving contractual labour workers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A project proposal has been developed to conduct a pilot project in Sri Lanka, to take forward the harmonization of the occupational certification of construction workers going to the UAE and Kuwait. With financial support from the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), agencies such as ILO which has expertise in this area through its country office in Sri Lanka, is supporting this project, and we look forward to hear the progress they have made. With regard to Ethical Labour Recruitment Practices, during the second SOM, the outcome of a research study conducted on the 'recruitment industry' by IOM was presented and this research documented the specific problems to be addressed including high recruitment fees, deceit about the terms and conditions of employment and processing of fake documents that leave migrants unprotected. As part of the CP thematic outputs, a proposal to map existing recruitment monitoring practices and complaint mechanisms in CP countries and selected destination countries has been envisaged to address the issue of unethical recruitment. Consultations have already started with the Asian Association of Overseas Employment Service Providers (OESP-AAA) to prepare for a regional meeting in Bangladesh in March or April 2016 which the CP will support. OESP-AAA are here at the SOM and we will hear from them on how the CP will also support national level meetings with national associations of the OESP-AAA. Further, there are linkages with the ADD, which is supporting a UAE-funded recruitment research project examining specific ADD recruitment corridors.IOM’s office in Kuwait is managing this research, and has enlisted partners in both India and the UAE to define the research methodology which is in its initial stage. We will hear an update with regard to this project during the course of our detailed discussions. Recognizing that Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) and Post-Arrival Orientation (PAO) can reduce the vulnerability of migrant workers and contribute to better social and workplace integration by heightening their awareness of their rights and obligations in countries of destination, an initiative put forwarded by the Philippines, namely the Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme for Migrant Workers (CIOP), to the ADD Ministerial Conference in 27 November 2014 received strong endorsement. Under the CP, a proposal was developed to support the development of the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminars (PDOS). The first part of this work, financially supported by SDC, was the mapping of existing national pre-departure programmes in selected CP countries. This mapping was conducted by the Scalabrini Migration Centre in Manila, Philippines, and they will present the key findings here at the SOM. We also look forward to focusing on the possible ways to incorporate health aspects in relation to migrants as a CP priority, an area in which Sri Lanka has shown much innovation, as acknowledged by the IOM. Transfer costs of remittances can vary considerably across the various corridors between different CP countries and destination countries. As you are aware this issue gets added significance following the adoption of the 2013 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by world leaders at the 70 UNGA in New York last month, which calls for the reduction of transaction costs of migrant remittances to less than 3% and the elimination of remittance corridors with costs higher that 5% by 2030. Under the CP, we have already made a head start in this direction, having identified it as a priority more than 2 years ago in our 'road map', and in seeking to collate accurate remittance data which is transparent as well as actionable, and can be used by migrants to compare transfer prices accurately. IOM has started working with partners on methodologies to obtain this data in specific CP corridors, with the objective of ensuring that migrants have access to the data. Following on their inputs to the 1st SOM, the ILO and the World Bank are additionally engaged in processes which could help ensure that the hard earned money of migrants are better channeled and invested, on which we will be hearing more during this meeting. It was decided at the outset that developing the capacity of CP countries to capture and analyze labour market trends in the destination countries was important to ensure which sectors are in demand, to help in planning, designing and implementing its labour migration policies. It is only a few months ago that the CP was able to focus on this area, and through funding provided by the SDC we have already embarked on a project to support the production of a 'labour market research operational guide' that will facilitate the documentation of these labour market trends, which it intends to produce in 2016. Establishment of the CP Migration Resource Centre to develop as a resource portal to contain information and best practices in support of all the thematic areas is another tangible result achieved under this thematic area. With the financial assistance of SDC, a technical expert has been appointed and is already based here in Colombo. We look forward to hearing her perspectives on the tasks ahead during the course of this meeting. Further, Sri Lanka with IOM assistance has developed detailed action plans containing the objectives, envisaged tangible actions, and timelines for expected outcomes on each of these 5 thematic areas by mid-2016, when the CP Ministerial Meeting is to be held in Colombo. Recently, at the Fifth Global Meeting of Chairs and Secretaries of Regional Consultative Processes on Migration (RCPs) held in Cairo, Egypt on 21-22 October 2015 which was attended by participants from 18 Regional Migration Processes as well as 14 civil society organizations, Secretary/Foreign Employment had the opportunity to detail the activities undertaken under Sri Lanka's Chairmanship of the CP, and those among us who attended this session, bear witness to the considerable enthusiasm shown by the participants of this meeting, for what several described as as CP's ability to move beyond declarations, to "tangible action" taken for migrants from the Asian region by the CP that could be emulated by others. In addition to these 5 primary areas of focus, under Sri Lanka's chairmanship attention has been also paid to build relationships between the CP and relevant regional and international process that were of relevance to migration, as well as to contribute towards those processes. Prominent among this has been the CPs cooperation within the Abu-Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) in order to enhance cooperation with destination countries in the Gulf region. As already noted, tangible benefits have accrued to the membership of the CP through assistance received by the CP membership through two ADD initiatives that were discussed at the ADD Ministerial Meeting in November 2014. The first project is a pilot project related to skills development, certification, upgrading and recognition that involves UAE, Kuwait, Philippines, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The other pilot project is the Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme for Migrant Workers (CIOP), which will develop best practice modules related to pre-departure and post-arrival orientation. Also in order to enhance the CP’s cooperation with the EU, the third Asia-EU Dialogue was held in Colombo following the 2nd SOM from 15-16 October 2014. The two day meeting focused on discussions on access to EU markets in semi-skilled and skilled categories; labour market assessments in Europe; policy aspects and regulation of labour migration to Europe; enhancing the employability of Asian skilled labour and professionals in the EU market; practical tools to promote labour migration between Asia and EU; and good practices in Asia-EU Labour Migration. It has been proposed that the next Asia-EU Dialogue be held in Spring 2016, prior to the CP Ministerial Meeting in Colombo. Clearly more needs to be done in this area, and as decided at the last CP PRs meeting in Geneva, in early October at a meeting with the EU Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, I emphasized the CP's serious commitment to do so. Given the EU's current migration focus in the European region itself, as a first step, we are seeking to organize an interaction in Geneva between a relevant official from Brussels and the CP Experts group, to map out what tangible steps can be taken between the two groups of countries. The CP is also working towards enhancing cooperation between the CP and the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD),which is a government-led process to advance understanding and cooperation on the mutually reinforcing relationship between migration and development and to foster practical and action-oriented outcomes. We are happy to note that Bangladesh, a CP Member State, assumed the Chair of the GFMD on 16 October 2015 and I hope this will pave way for CP to have even greater linkages with the GFMD. We will hear more from Bangladesh about their strategic vision for GFMD and its cooperation with CP. Migration also has strong links to the outcome document of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),which the CP has been closely tracking. Paragraph 29 of the outcome document notes that “we will cooperate internationally to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration involving full respect for human rights and the humane treatment of migrants regardless of migration status, of refugees and of displaced persons”. Out of 169 targets indicated in the outcome document of the SDGs, there are 7 targets that explicitly refer to migrants and migration. The CP must continue to remain engaged in the implementation and reviewing of these migration related targets in the SDGs, and how we do so must be seriously deliberated during this meeting. Given the difficulties encountered in funding for the activities of the CP at the time Sri Lanka assumed the Chair, over the past 18 months our Experts in Geneva have also devoted considerable effort to develop a self-funding mechanism based on modest contributions from the membership and also drawing on similar and replicable experiences of the various other RCPs. This will not only ensure predictability and regularity of CP meetings, but also encourage countries to accept the leadership of the CP, thus ensuring the smooth rotation of the CP Chair. I hope we would be able to arrive at a consensus on implementing a self-funding mechanism during this SOM, which could be operationalized following the Ministerial meting to be held next year. Mr. Chairman, In conclusion, I believe that during this two days Senior Officials’ Meeting, we would be able to discuss and find possible ways of achieving the expected outcomes as envisaged under the Sri Lankan Chairmanship, with a view to providing a better life for all migrants workers from our region. I thank you. /media-centre/38-statements/entry/10-statement-by-h-e-ravinatha-aryasinha-ambassador-permanent-representative-of-sri-lanka

Sri Lanka and the Philippines discuss collaboration between the Colombo Process and Abu Dhabi Dialogue

Other

Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dilan Perera met with his counterpart,Secretary Labour and Employment Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz of the Philippines on Monday 6 January in Manila. The areas for collaboration discussed at the meeting included pre-departure orientation, qualification recognition process, comprehensive information orientation programmes and recruitment standards. Media Center Minister Perera and Secretary Dimapilis-Baldoz met in their respective capacities as the current chairs-in-office of the two Regional Consultative Processes on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour in Asia, the Colombo Process and the Abu Dhabi Dialogue,respectively. Sri Lanka assumed the chair of the Colombo Process, comprising 11 countries of origin in Asia, last October in Geneva. CP comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India,Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, while ADD has a membership that includes all CP members, and additionally receiving countries Bahrain,Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Minister Perera provided Secretary Dimapilis-Baldoz with an update on the Colombo Process,including an elaboration of the strategic vision and roadmap for Sri Lanka's tenure as chair which he noted is being currently presented to the Geneva-based Colombo Process membership by Sri Lanka's Ambassador Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva. He reiterated that Sri Lanka attaches high priority to migration, and therefore the Colombo Process. Recalling that it is the Colombo Process that paved the way to the formation of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, a Regional Consultative Process formed to promote dialogue and partnership among countries of origin and destination in Asia in January 2008, Minister Perera congratulated the Philippines for its steering of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue at a crucial time in its evolution. He indicated that Sri Lanka's strategic vision of the Colombo Process perceives it as a platform for dialogue among countries of origin as well as engagement with countries of destination. Minister Dimapilis-Baldoz provided an update on recent activities in the Abu Dhabi Dialogue under the chairmanship of the Phlilippines, including reference to the salient points of the Manila Communique of April 2012, as well as the upcoming Troika Meeting. On the bilateral front, the possibility of negotiating an MOU between Sri Lanka and the Philippines on labour cooperation was discussed. Minister Perera complimented the Philippines for its excellence and expertise in training human resources and looked forward to learning from and sharing good practices in the field. Minister Perera wished the Philippines a speedy recovery from the devastation caused by typhoon Haiyan Yolanda, and as a gesture of solidarity and friendship with the people of the Philippines, arranged for the donation of 1000 kg of tea for distribution among the families affected by the typhoon. A symbolic presentation was made to Secretary Dimapilis-Baldoz to mark this donation. Minister Perera in conclusion extended an invitation to Minister Dimapilis-Baldoz to visit Sri Lanka. During the visit, Minister Perera also visited the Philippines Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Colombo Plan Staff College in Manila. The Minister was accompanied on the visit by Secretary, Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Mr.Nissanka Wijeratne, Sri Lanka's Charge d'Affaires in the Philippines Ms. H.M.G.R.R.K.Wijeratne Mendis and Sri Lanka's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ms.Manisha Gunasekera. Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN Geneva 08.01.2014 /media-centre/31-other/entry/4-sri-lanka-and-the-philippines-discuss-collaboration-between-the-colombo-process-and-abu-dhabi-dialogue

Sri Lanka assumes leadership of the Colombo Process

Other

The Chairmanship of the Colombo Process was transferred from the Government of Bangladesh to the Government of Sri Lanka during a meeting held at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva on 21 October 2013. The Colombo Process is a Regional Consultative Process on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour for countries.... Media Center of origin in Asia, which was initiated at Ministerial Consultations for Asian Labour Sending Countries held in 2003 in Colombo. The group includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam, and has met in Manila (2004), Bali (2005) and Dhaka (2011) to review and monitor the implementation of previous recommendations and identify areas for future actions. The Geneva headquartered International Organization for Migration (IOM) serves as the secretariat for the Colombo Process. Speaking on the occasion Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha said with 21% of its working population working overseas and 46% of them women Sri Lanka takes the issue of labour migration very seriously and will bring to bear Sri Lanka's experience on the Colombo Process. Noting that while the Colombo Process countries are in some instances competitors, Ambassador Aryasinha said Sri Lanka believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that their collective voice will be stronger than any individual voices. He said building on the accomplishments of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka in consultation with the membership of the Colombo Process, will evolve a road map on action to be undertake in the course of their chairmanship where member countries can optimize their mutual benefit. He saw the sharing of best practices, a qualification recognition process, minimum wages as well as improvement of working conditions in countries of destination, and assistance to migrant workers in crisis situations as priority areas. He also emphasized the importance for the Colombo Process to engage with greater vigour and credibility with countries of labour destination through the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) and other similar processes, as well as to pursue the interests of Colombo Process countries in ensuring that due recognition is given to migration as one of the priority areas of the post-2015 development agenda. Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Abdul Hannan, said he was pleased with what his government’s chairmanship had accomplished, and was happy to be handing over the chairmanship to Sri Lanka, the birthplace of the Colombo Process. He thanked Ambassadors of all Colombo Process countries in Geneva and the IOM in the region and HQs for their support during the Bangladeshi chairmanship, which included the hosting of the Ministerial Meeting and Senior Officials meeting in 2011, the endorsement of the operating modalities, a Research Study on Labour Migration in Colombo Process countries and the recent Colombo Process statement delivered at the UN High Level Dialogue (HLD) on migration. Director General of the IOM Ambassador William Lacy Swing who thanked Bangladesh for its very able leadership of the Colombo Process, said he considered it fitting that the Colombo Process should, after ten years of existence, be returning to its birthplace. He reassured the incoming chair that IOM would remain engaged with the Colombo Process and would explore new ways of securing funding for the process, thereby enhancing the regularity with which it meets. The timing of the handing over was opportune as there is much to be done following the HLD and in view of the other ongoing processes. He underlined the possible benefits of the Colombo Process engagement with other processes, with the global Regional Consultative Process (RCP) meetings being a prime opportunity for such interaction. He also suggested that the Colombo Process may also wish to consider how it might engage with other RCPs in their region, in addition to the ADD. /media-centre/31-other/entry/5-sri-lanka-assumes-leadership-of-the-colombo-process

Sri Lanka emphasizes commitment to address the issue of ‘ethical labour recruitment practices’ during its tenure as Colombo Process Chair

Meetings

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha, has said Sri Lanka which took over the chair of the Colombo Process (CP) one year ago was of the view that if it were to make a difference and ensure that some real benefits would accrue to the people of the member countries, it was important that they address the tough issues, including 'Ethical Labour Recruitment Practices'. He noted that in ongoing deliberations the CP is seeking to harmonize existing national regulatory.... Media Center frameworks, promote Standard Employment Contracts (including addressing issue of contract substitution and create a registration mechanism for contracts), consider common minimum wage levels, and conditions that promote health and well-being and insurance protection, and to develop a common position on ethical recruitment practices. Ambassador Aryasinha made these observations and reviewed the progress made by the CP under Sri Lanka's leadership, when he addressed an Expert Consultation on Recruitment Practices and their Impact on Human Rights of Migrants, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 31 October 2014. The consultation was convened by Mr. Francois Crepeau, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants and was attended by diplomats, academics, representatives of the ILO and IOM, Recruitment specialists, as well as NGOs involved in the field. He said the challenge before us remains to address some of the specific problems presented by unethical recruitment, which range from high recruitment fees, and deceit about the terms and conditions of employment, right through to forced labour. He reiterated the timely need for international commitment/cooperation to the protection of human rights of migrants, regardless of their migration status and working towards an effective and inclusive agenda that integrates development and human rights aspects. Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka Geneva 1 November 2014 /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/8-sri-lanka-emphasizes-commitment-to-address-the-issue-of-ethical-labour-recruitment-practices-during-its-tenure-as-colombo-process-chair

Initiatives for migrants under Sri Lanka’s leadership of the Colombo Process commended at Cairo Meeting

Statements

Initiatives for migrants from the Asian region taken under Sri Lanka's Chairmanship of the Colombo Process (CP) was commended at the Fifth Global Meeting of Chairs and Secretaries of Regional Consultative Processes on Migration (RCPs), held in Cairo, Egypt, 21-22 October 2015. Media Center DOWNLOAD: Document /media-centre/38-statements/entry/12-initiatives-for-migrants-under-sri-lanka-s-leadership-of-the-colombo-process-commended-at-cairo-meeting

Nepal Assumes Colombo Process Leadership

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On 29 March 2017, Nepal succeeded Sri Lanka as Chair of the Colombo Process (CP) at a ceremony at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Headquarters in Geneva. The Government of Sri Lanka was represented by Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Geneva, while Nepal was represented by Ambassador Deepak Dhital, the Permanent Representative of Nepal. Media Center The Colombo Process or in full, the Regional Consultative Process on the Management of Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin in Asia, was established in 2003. It brings together 12 South and Southeast Asian labour sending countries in a member state-driven, non-binding regional consultative process on migration (RCP) to facilitate dialogue and cooperation on issues of common interest and concerns relating to labour mobility. Ten years after chairing the CP for the first time, Sri Lanka assumed the CP Chair in 2013 under the theme "International Labour Migration for Prosperity: Adding Value by Working Together". During its tenure, five thematic working groups have been set up for CP member states to work together to consider how to: promote skills qualification and recognition; foster ethical recruitment; promote pre-departure orientation and empowerment, with an additional focus on migration and health; reduce the costs of remittances transfer; and track labour market trends. In 2016 the CP agreed to consider expanding the thematic areas of focus by four more, namely: enhancing consular support for migrant workers; promoting migrant health; operationalizing the migration-related goals in the SDGs; and promoting equality of women migrant workers. A self-funding mechanism was also negotiated by the CP Member States in Geneva and unanimously adopted at the last CP Ministerial Meeting in August 2016. The period also saw an expansion in the relations between the CP and other migration related Processes and Partners, including the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD), the European Union (EU), the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. In its capacity as the CP Chair for the next two years, Nepal is developing a program of priorities, including the CP potential contribution to the process of consultation on the Global Compact on Migration. Ambassador Aryasinha said “Sri Lanka can look back with satisfaction to this period of stewardship, confident that it sought to tackle some of the most pressing issues faced by labour migrants of CP member countries; put in place some of the best practices to mitigate and overcome their problems; developed some of the most vital linkages between the sources of supply and demand; and strengthened both the institutional and financial capacity for the CP to be better prepared for the future.” During the ceremony, the IOM Director General, William Lacy Swing congratulated Sri Lanka on its dynamism and perseverance as the CP Chair, leading to numerous achievements - notably through the establishment of the 5 Thematic Areas Working Groups, the negotiation of a self-funding mechanism, the updating of its operating modalities, the expansion of its regional interlocutors. Ambassador Swing commended Nepal for taking up the lead of this dynamic and very active Regional Consultative Process on Migration adding that IOM stood ready to continue supporting the Chair of the CP. Ambassador Dhital noted Nepal’s gratitude to Sri Lanka for its outstanding leadership. “Nepal is honoured to have the opportunity to now serve as the CP Chair.” Appreciating the progress and recent achievements of the CP, Ambassador Dhital also emphasized the importance of moving forward further action based on consensus of the CP member states. He also expressed the need to fit the activities of the CP into the larger whole of international initiatives in the field of migration and its management, such as the Global Forum for Migration and Development (GFMD), the relevant goals and targets of the SDGs and the Global Compact on Migration preparatory process. DOWNLOAD: Statement by H.E. Deepak Dhital, Ambassador / Permanent Representative of Nepal in Geneva Statement by H.E. Ravinatha Aryasinha, Ambassador / Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Geneva /media-centre/31-other/entry/24-nepal-assumes-colombo-process-leadership

Message of Mr G.S.Withanage, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Employment ,Sri Lanka

Statements

I am honored to send a message at the proceedings of the 4th Senior Official Meeting and the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the Colombo Process which will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24th and 25th August 2016. Media Center As the chair-in-office, it was a great pleasure for us to have the opportunity of hosting you all at this important gathering. Asia, with 60 percent of the world’s people and 30 percent of the world’s international migrants, is a dynamic region marked by ever more linkages between the many countries of the continent via trade, investment and labor mobility. These linkages are likely to expand in the coming decades, raising new challenges and opportunities for co-operation to maximize the benefits from economic integration, mainly from sharing and exchange of human resources. Therefore as an important regional consultation Colombo Process gives us a great opportunity to come together and share our respective experiences and reinforce our cooperation on all fronts, which will help to maximize the benefits from labour migration. Since assuming chair-in office of the Colombo Process in 2013 ,Sri Lanka spearheaded a strategic vision roadmap that sought to strengthen the co-operation among member countries and engagement with countries of destination under the theme of “International Labour Migration for Prosperity : Adding value by working together “. Accordingly five thematic areas has been identified and at the last meeting of the SOM decided to activate technical working groups with a participation of member countries. Under our chairmanship, we have been able to activated five thematic technical working group meeting and outcomes will be submitted to the upcoming ministerial meeting. I take this opportunity to stress the importance of the progress made by the Colombo Process since the convening of the first Ministerial Consultation in Colombo in 2003; while succeeding our consultation in fostering constructive dialogue among our member countries, it has also contributed to enhancing mutual trust and identifying avenues of collaboration among us to enhance its outcomes. On behalf of the chair-in-office, I would like to congratulate all of you on making the 5th Meeting of the Colombo Process Regional Consultative Ministerial Meeting and the Senior Officials’ meeting a success. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of CP member countries for their active roles and I extend my appreciation to the IOM for their continued support in developing the purposeful dialogues and programs of the Colombo Process. G.S Withanage Secretary Ministry of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka /media-centre/38-statements/entry/16-message-of-mr-g-s-withanage-secretary-ministry-of-foreign-employment

Colombo Process Member States identified concrete collaborative actions for advancing ethical recruitment

Meetings

Fostering ethical recruitment is one of the thematic areas of the Colombo Process, and the Member States particularly recognize the importance of harmonizing policies and regulations in line with international standards. Media Center Following the First Regional Symposium in August 2016, Senior Officials of the Colombo Process Member States gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, on 18 May 2017, to advance this agenda at the Second Regional Symposium on “Promoting Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediates in the Colombo Process Member States”. Building on key recommendation areas identified at the First Symposium, the Second Symposium aimed to identify and agree on priority collaborative actions to be pursued by the Member States, which will also envisage enhanced cooperation with countries of destination (CODs) and private sector. The symposium was attended by a total of 50 persons including Senior Officials from all 12 Member States of the Colombo Process. The symposium discussion was enriched by the participation of diverse resource persons with subject expertise, ranging from COD representatives including the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) Secretariat; development partners and UN agencies; the private sector including representatives from employers, industry networks, and recruitment agencies; academia; and, civil society organizations. The Second Symposium served as the first Colombo Process event hosted by the Government of Nepal after assuming the Chairmanship of Colombo Process in Mach 2017. His Excellency Dr. Khaga Nath Adhikari, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Embassy of Nepal in Thailand, in his opening remarks, highlighted multidimensional aspects of labour migration and stressed the strong pertinence of ethical recruitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Target 10.7 “facilitating orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies”. Mr. Shabari Nair, Regional Advisor on Migration and Development, South and Southeast Asia, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), highlighted how ethical recruitment is at the forefront of discussions at various regional fora including the ADD, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and emphasized the importance of linking with the ongoing Global Compact on Migration discussions for achieving migration-related goals in SDGs. The symposium was structured around three interactive thematic discussions, covering “Strengthening regulatory frameworks at the national level and among the Colombo Process countries”, “Cooperation with CODs”, and “Strengthening cooperation with private sector”. Based on the thematic discussions, the Senior Officials together with resource persons engaged in focused discussions on identifying priority collaborative actions around the above themes, and agreed to concrete collaborative actions to take forward, including: Formalizing informal recruitment agencies as responsible stakeholders; Developing guidance to formulate gender sensitive employment terms and conditions; Working towards “employer-pay model” through defining recruitment fees and related costs; Building consensus in national, regional and inter-regional platforms on achieving SDG Target 10.7; Developing an electronic contract validation system as a means to enhance transparency of cross-border recruitment processes; Creating platforms for labour market information-sharing on jobs; Encouraging regular dialogue between the recruitment industry association in the Colombo Process countries and employer representatives from CODs to address recruitment related issues; Building capacity of all licensed recruitment agencies in each Member State to promote ethical recruitment at all stages of the migration; Creating awareness on the ILO general principles and operational guidelines for ethical recruitment and International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) Code of Conduct as international benchmarks. Mr. Govind Mani Bhurtel, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Government of Nepal, concluded the Second Symposium by praising the solid action points reached through the discussion among the Member States and stressed the importance of collaboration among all relevant actors to advance ethical recruitment and protect migrant workers. The Second Symposium was convened within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in Colombo Process countries” with the support from SDC. DOWNLOAD Report of the Second Regional Symposium on “Promoting Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries in the Colombo Process Member States” /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/25-colombo-process-member-states-identified-concrete-collaborative-actions-for-advancing-ethical-recruitment

Colombo Process meeting concludes with far reaching decisions aimed at ensuring skilled and safe labour migration from Asia

Meetings

Colombo, Sri Lanka – A two-day Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Colombo Process (CP) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 4-5 November 2015 has resulted in far reaching concrete decisions and recommendations aimed at advancing collective efforts for safe and skilled labour migration management by sending countries in Asia. These include the setting up of a Colombo Process Technical Support Unit (CP TSU) in Colombo, to provide support to all the CP countries in pursuing the goals and actions set in the current thematic priorities of the CP and any other areas that the CP would agree to in the future. Media Center Hon. Ms. Thalatha Atukorale, Minister of Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka and Chair-in-Office of the Colombo Process delivering the key note address emphasized the importance of migrant workers’ contributions to economic development in both home and host countries. She reiterated Sri Lanka's commitment as CP Chair-in-Office to work towards the well being of all migrant workers of Asia, and to leverage the support of other Regional Migration Processes, as well as regional and international groups of nations and civil societies to achieve this goal. Earlier in introductory comments, Mr. G.S. Withanage, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka highlighted the theme of the Sri Lankan Chairmanship of the CP, "International Labour Migration for Prosperity: Adding Value by Working Together and the focus of the CP to protect and uphold the rights of migrant workers in the region". H.E. Mr. Ravinatha Aryasinha, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva in his capacity as the Chair of the Geneva-based CP Member States, highlighted the effective collaboration and action-oriented role of the CP Geneva-based Permanent Representatives and experts to develop concrete actions and deliverables to improve the lives of migrant workers through five thematic areas. He said during Sri Lanka's chairmanship, beyond the tangible results from the identified areas for cooperation, the CP had also strengthened its operational modalities, worked towards self funding, and also enhanced cooperation with other groups, including with the ADD, the EU through the Asia-EU Dialogue, and the GFMD. He said the CP countries had shown that being competitors for the same markets and competing national interests had not stood in the way of collective action, and that contrary to the conventional wisdom, cooperation in the field of migration must not necessarily be a 'zero-sum-game'.Sri Lanka’s chairmanship of the CP over the past two years has focused on five thematic areas: Qualification and skills recognition processes Fostering ethical recruitment Effective pre-departure orientation and empowerment Reducing the costs of remittance transfer Enhancing capacities of the Colombo Process Member States to track labour market trends During the meeting which was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka with technical and financial assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), active discussions took place among the representatives of the CP Member States on these five thematic areas, regards which detailed action plans containing the objectives, envisaged tangible actions, and timelines for expected outcomes are being operationalized, in consultation with IOM, and with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). These discussions have resulted in the following key decisions and recommendations: Recognized the importance of developing frameworks for skills training and recognition aligned with destination countries;Recognized the benefit of establishing a Thematic Working Group to promote fair and ethical recruitment and to engage the recruitment industry for creating industry-led support for ethical recruitment;Decided to take into account the specific needs and vulnerabilities of female migrant workers in the design and implementation of labor migration policies;Underlined the importance of engaging in the development of national indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertinent to CP objectives, in particular the goals relating to decent work and safe migration;Endorsed the implementation plan for the Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme for Migrant Workers (CIOP) as regional modules for pre-departure orientation;Agreed to consider health issues within the relevant thematic priorities of the CP;Recognized the universal efforts to reduce remittance transaction costs to less than 3% as stipulated in the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, and reiterated the desire to support efforts to develop methodology to provide real-time data on transfer costs of remittances in view of reducing remittance transaction costs;Agreed to consider enhancing efforts at national level, to empower migrant workers and their families on decision-making on financial management;Agreed to produce a labor market research Operational Guide that will facilitate the documentation of labour market trends in destination countries and analyze potential areas of demand;Welcomed the setting up of a Colombo Process Technical Support Unit (CP TSU) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to provide support to all the CP countries in pursuing the goals and actions set in the current five thematic priorities of the CP and any other areas that the CP would agree in the future;Decided to recommend to the next Ministerial Meeting adoption of the proposed self-funding formula which will ensure predictability and regularity of CP meetings;Emphasized the interest of CP states in enhancing cooperation and coordination between the CP, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) and other labour migration mechanisms and Regional Consultative Processes, with a view to enhancing understanding and sharing experiences for mutual benefit;Welcomed the ADD Pilot Project on Skill Development, Documentation and Recognition, through supporting the occupational certification adopted, which focuses on selected occupations in the UAE and Kuwait through supporting the occupational certification of Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan construction workers and Filipino workers in other sectors going to these countries;Recognized ways to enhance further joint activities supported by the ADD and the CP on common thematic areas, including the need to identify national focal points relevant to the thematic areas of the ADD on labour mobility and recruitment, consultation among CP country missions in receiving countries on common concerns. It is also proposed to have a mechanism for information sharing between the CP and ADD such as on legislation and legal practices with respect to ethical labour recruitment and other relevant areas. Hon. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Harsha De Silva, in concluding comments on 5 November 2015, appreciated “the innovative thinking of the member states’ representatives, who have demonstrated their true commitment to work together to ensure migration with our desired visions”. He added, “We have to push forward to translate the innovative ideas into action and practices”. The progress in these areas will be presented to the next Ministerial Meeting of the Colombo Process which is scheduled to be held in mid-2016 in Colombo. Colombo Sri Lanka 6 November 2015 Download Concluding Statement /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/2-colombo-process-meeting-concludes-with-far-reaching-decisions-aimed-at-ensuring-skilled-and-safe-labour-migration-from-asia

Sri Lanka to address regional mismatches on supply and demand in foreign employment through Colombo Process

Other

Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion & Welfare Dilan Perera has said Sri Lanka which recently assumed the Chairmanship of the Colombo Process - the Regional Consultative Process on migration, will do its utmost to share its experience and bring together the eleven countries and nine observer countries of this group to address common interests, including the mismatches between supply and demand and applying ethical concepts to foreign employment management. He said Sri Lanka will also play its full part in developing the post 2015 Millennium goal development architecture, emphasizing on Migration and Development. Media Center The Minister made these observations when he addressed the 103rd Session of the Council of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday (26thNovember 2013) in Geneva. He said the IOM has been a pillar of strength supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to give migrant workers employment with dignity. DOWNLOAD: Document /media-centre/31-other/entry/11-sri-lanka-to-address-regional-mismatches-on-supply-and-demand-in-foreign-employment-through-colombo-process

Colombo Process submitted a statement on Remittances to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Thematic Session 4 “Contributions of migrants” in New York

Statements

Colombo Process under the leadership of the Chair of the Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Remittances, Pakistan, has submitted a statement to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) Thematic Session 4 “Contributions of migrants and diasporas to all dimensions of sustainable development, including remittances and portability of earned benefits”. Media Center The meeting was held at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York on 24-25 July 2017. The statement, which sets forth 10 suggestions related to remittances, was delivered by Dr. Illa Mainali, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations as Chair of the Colombo Process. The statement, which was drafted by the TAWG Chair in line with the Colombo Process objectives and the TAWG goals, was tabled for discussion at the Third TAWG Meeting on Remittances, which was convened on 11 July 2017. The meeting, which was chaired by Mr. Manzoor Ahmad Kayani, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Government of Pakistan, was participated by the officials of the TAWG and Colombo Process Member States, and representatives from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Rich discussions took place on the draft statement, and the statement was finalized by incorporating inputs and feedback from the meeting participants. The 10 suggestions cover issues related to the recognition of contributions of migrant workers and their families to sustainable development, lowering costs of remittance transfers, promoting the use of formal remittance channels, and promoting better utilization of remittances through financial literacy and remittances-linked services. The full statement is downloadable from the link below. The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which was adopted by Member States of the UN on 16 September 2016, initiated a process of intergovernmental consultations and negotiations to develop a GCM. Guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the GCM is envisaged to contribute to global governance and enhanced cooperation on migrants and human mobility. The importance of promoting faster, cheaper and safer remittances was recognised in the New York Declaration. The Colombo Process, which focuses on “Remittances” as one of its current thematic priorities, took the opportunity and provided its inputs for the GCM thematic consultation with a view to contributing to maximizing the benefits of migration. DOWNLOAD Colombo Process Statement for the GCM Thematic Session 4 in New York EXTERNAL LINK UN website on Global Compact for Migration /media-centre/38-statements/entry/26-colombo-process-submitted-a-statement-on-remittances-to-the-global-compact-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration-thematic-session-4-contributions-of-migrants-in-new-york

Sri Lanka joins in measures to protect migrant workers at the Abu Dhabi Dialogue

Meetings

A series of initiatives aimed at boosting protection and improving conditions of employment for millions of foreign workers in the Gulf have been agreed upon at the Third Ministerial Consultative Meeting of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) comprising Asian countries sending and receiving labour, which concluded in Kuwait last week. The 'Kuwait Declaration' noted that "recognizing that individual government's efforts may fall short, we resolve to work together to prevent and sanction exploitative recruitment practices that place workers at great risk and undermine fundamental rights". Media Center Ministers and Heads of Delegations from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam attended this meeting, held on 26-27 November 2014 under the chairmanship of Kuwait. Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha led the Sri Lanka delegation. In a message to the meeting, Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dilan Perera called "for the introduction of a standard employment contract for domestic sector workers in GCC countries". He commended that "such a contract which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has agreed with Sri Lanka and the Philippines be adopted". He said "such a standard contract will result in a more contented work force, which will in turn, result in better performances by them". As the current Chair-in-Office of the Colombo Process (CP) - the grouping of Asian labour sending countries who are all members of the ADD and where the GCC countries are observers, Minister Perera said "the two regional consultative processes complement each other". He noted that since assuming the Chair of the CP one year ago, "Sri Lanka had been able to conduct two Senior Official's Meetings, the 3rd Asia-EU Dialogue on Labour Migration and in collaboration with UN Women developed a long overdue Standard Employment Contract for female domestic workers". The Minister added that "he hoped to receive all countries participating at the Ministerial Conference of the Colombo Process scheduled to be held in Colombo in the 4th quarter of 2015". Addressing the Meeting, Ambassador Aryasinha said "Sri Lanka had embarked on 5 thematic areas for focus under Sri Lanka's leadership of the Colombo Process - review the Qualification Recognition Processes including transnational accreditation and monitoring, Promote Cheaper, Faster & Safer Transfer of Remittances, Ethical Labour Recruitment Practices, Effective Pre-departure Orientation & Empowerment, and Developing a database on the economic trends in the destination countries". He "emphasized the considerable scope for CP-ADD cooperation in these areas, particularly in evolving a 'qualification recognition process', where the support of the labour receiving countries was pivotal towards its operationalization". To this end, Ambassador Aryasinha "called upon the ADD to enable all CP countries interested in joining the on-going pilot project on 'Skill Development, Certification, Upgrading and Recognition' and to orient the study towards the goal of putting in place early an effective 'qualification recognition process' ". He said "this would not only bring greater predictability by ensuring that those recruited are of a better quality and will be better paid commensurate with their skill, but it would also reduce the tensions that sometimes occur between employer and employee". Earlier at the Senior Officials Meeting which preceded the Ministerial consultation, Additional General Manager of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment K.O.D.D. Fernando and Coordinating Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dr. Roshan Hassim, made comprehensive presentations of the web based recruitment system, migration management system and the pre-departure orientation programme implemented in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's Chargé d'Affaires in Kuwait MohemadAnas was also associated is the meetings, which was also attended by representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization on Migration (IOM), the World Bank and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC). 29 November 2014 /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/9-sri-lanka-joins-in-measures-to-protect-migrant-workers-at-the-abu-dhabi-dialogue

The Colombo Process reiterated their recommendations for the promotion of safe, orderly and regular labour mobility at the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Thematic Session 6 in Geneva

Statements

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) Thematic Session 6, which focused on “Irregular migration and regular pathways, including decent work, labour mobility, recognition of skills and qualifications and other relevant measures”, was marked by four complementary statements delivered by Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, representing the Colombo Process Member States. Media Center At this last GCM Thematic Session convened on 12-13 October 2017 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Nepal as the Chair of the Colombo Process and Bangladesh, the Philippines and Sri Lanka as the Chairs of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs) respectively on “Fostering Ethical Recruitment”, “Pre-departure Orientation and Empowerment (PDOE)”, and “Skills and Qualification Recognition Processes”, delivered concrete inputs and recommendations to promote safe, orderly and regular labour mobility. The GCM Thematic Session 6 was regarded as particularly pertinent to the efforts of the Colombo Process since its specific thematic foci corresponded to the current thematic priorities of the Colombo Process. The Panel 2 of the session, under the theme of “decent work and labour mobility” encompassed the fair and ethical recruitment and the protection of the rights of migrant workers and their families. Labour market needs and the recognition and validation of qualifications, skills and competencies were covered under the Panel 3 of the session. Given the pertinence of this Thematic Session as an avenue to make its thematic recommendations reflected in the global level initiative, the Colombo Process through its TAWGs invested time and efforts to prepare the respective thematic inputs. Through the respective TAWG Chairs’ initiatives and the convening of TAWG meetings between August and September 2017, the inputs respectively for ethical recruitment, skills and qualification recognition, PDOE, and labour market analysis were prepared and presented at the Colombo Process Consultation on the GCM, which was convened on 13-14 September in Kathmandu, Nepal. The respective inputs were refined through the consultation discussions, consolidated as concrete recommendation points and reflected in the joint Colombo Process contribution to the GCM. H.E. Deepak Dhital, Permanent Representative / Ambassador of Nepal to UN and Other International Organization in Geneva, through his statement emphasized the need to create synergy and complementarity of migration governance at all levels to make the world of work more inclusive and productive, and highlighted the importance of strengthening Regional Consultative Processes to enable them to act as a bridge of migration governance at different levels. He cited various important initiatives taken and best practices put in place by the Colombo Process in this regard. Bangladesh through Mr. Mohammed Hossain, First Secretary (Labour) of its Geneva Permanent Mission to UN Office, delivered a statement as Chair of the TAWG on Fostering Ethical Recruitment. The statement encompassed 20 recommendations, covering the issues of aligning national legislation with international standards of fair and ethical recruitment, capacity building of licensed recruitment agencies and employers, use of technologies to promote cooperation with destination countries such as electronic contract validation systems, formulation of gender sensitive employment terms and conditions, and recognition of private sector initiatives. A statement of the TAWG on PDOE was delivered by H. E. Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative / Ambassador of the Philippines to Geneva, representing the Philippines as the Chair of the TAWG. Through the statement, eight recommendations were made with regard to the rights of migrant workers and their families in view of international human rights and labour instruments, the significance of orientations to empower migrant workers to make informed decisions and maximize the benefits of migration, the importance of a comprehensive approach to orientations through collaboration between origin and destination countries, and the promotion of social protection mechanisms for migrant workers and families. Regarding a statement of the TAWG on Skills and Qualification Recognition, Sri Lanka represented by Mr. W. M.V. Wansekara, Additional General Manager – International Affairs, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, presented ten recommendations. These recommendations emphasized the importance of mutual recognition of skills and qualification frameworks between origin and destination countries, the recognition of prior learning for migrant workers which can facilitate their reintegration upon return, the incorporation of soft skills in the process of skilling migrant workers, and the consideration of occupation- and gender-specific realities and outcomes in the design of skills training and recognition programmes. The delivery of the statements were coordinated by the Permanent Mission/ Embassy of Nepal in Geneva so as to ensure synergies. This coordinated delivery of the statements showcased that the different countries lead the thematic priorities of the Colombo Process by leveraging their respective experiences and expertise and highlighted the level of collaboration achieved by the Colombo Process Member States. The full statements are downloadable from the links below. DOWNLOAD Statement by Nepal as the Chair of the Colombo Process Statement by Bangladesh as the the Chair of the TAWG on Fostering Ethical Recruitment Statement by the Philippines as the Chair of the TAWG on Pre-departure Orientation and Empowerment Statement by Sri Lanka as the Chair of the TAWG on Skills and Qualification Recognition /media-centre/38-statements/entry/29-the-colombo-process-reiterated-their-recommendations-for-the-promotion-of-safe-orderly-and-regular-labour-mobility-at-the-global-compact-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration-thematic-session-6-in-geneva

The 3rd Senior Officials’ Meeting Report

Publications

The 3rd Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Colombo Process (CP SOM) was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 04th and 05th of November 2015, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka with technical and financial assistance from IOM. Media Center This was the first SOM where both the Capital-based and Geneva-based senior officials’ from the CP Member States participated and engaged inactive discussions regarding the CP thematic priorities, CP operating modalities and cooperation with other dialogue forums. Under the Chairmanship of Sri Lanka, the3rd SOM concluded with a remarkable success, marked by the adoption of the Concluding Statement by the Member States, which sets out concrete decisions and recommendations aimed at advancing collective efforts for safe and skilled labour migration by sending countries in Asia. DOWNLOAD: Colombo Process 3rd SOM Report /media-centre/30-publications/entry/7-the-3rd-senior-officials-meeting-report

The 1st Meetings of Thematic Area Working Groups and the Regional Workshop on Labour Market Research

Meetings

Delegates from the Colombo Process countries met for the Thematic Area Working Group Meetings on ‘Skills and Qualification Recognition’ and ‘Promoting Ethical Recruitment’ and the Regional Workshop on Labour Market Research in Colombo. Media Center Colombo, Sri Lanka – The first meetings of the Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWG) of the Colombo Process (CP) on ‘Skills and Qualification Recognition’ and ‘Promoting Ethical Recruitment’ were held on 31 May 2016 in Colombo, Sri Lanka with the participation of delegates from the CP Member States (CPMS). The TAWG meetings were followed by the Regional Workshop on Labour Market Research on 1 June 2016. These TAWGs were first of the five TAWGs which are planned to be activated in support of the current CP thematic priorities. The primary objectives of the inaugural meetings were to discuss and agree on goals and key tasks of the respective TAWGs as well as to discuss possible areas of joint and parallel action programmes among the CPMS and with countries of destination (CODs). The TAWG on ‘Skills and Qualification Recognition’ chaired by Sri Lanka identified the importance of increasing the number of skilled workers departing for overseas employment, the need for promoting mutual recognition of qualification frameworks between countries of origin (COOs) and CODs, and promoting higher wages for skilled workers as the priority issues to be pursued as the TAWG goals. The TAWG on ‘Promoting Ethical Recruitment’ chaired by Bangladesh, highlighted priority issues such as transforming the recruitment industry into an employer-pay model, removing information asymmetry to enable migrant workers to acquire the necessary knowledge for decent and safe migration, and developing policies and regulations to encompass the informal actors as the goals to be pursued collectively by the TAWG. ‘Labour Market Research’ which was focused in the Regional Workshop is another key thematic priority of the CP. The Workshop was convened to provide an avenue for the delegates from CPMS to stock take the existing initiatives in CPMS and discuss joint activities in order to make collective advancement in this thematic area. The workshop was inaugurated by welcome remarks from Mr. G.S. Withanage, the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Employment, H.E. Mr. Heinz Walker-Nederkoorn, Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and Maldives, and Mr. Giuseppe Crocetti, Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Sri Lanka. “There is an urgent need for identifying challenges and developing comprehensive strategies that recognize the short-term and long-term labour market needs for all Colombo Process member states. Serious consideration needs to be given to providing consistence with labour market needs and more regular labour migration opportunities at the skill level, as well as cross border recognition of skills”, stated Mr. Withanage in his opening remarks. The workshop discussion was enriched by the participation of resource persons from COD, academia, IOM, International Labour Organization and UN Women, and the delegates exchanged ideas for the development of a Labour Market Research Operational Guide, capacity building activities and the Colombo Process online repository as the knowledge forum. The delegates also agreed on the activation of the TAWG on Labour Market Analysis based on the discussions at the Workshop. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/13-the-1st-meetings-of-thematic-area-working-groups-and-the-regional-workshop-on-labour-market-research

Presentation at the High-level Panel: Towards the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Statements

The Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was held on 6 – 8 November 2017 in Bangkok. The meeting aimed at identifying key migration issues, challenges and priorities for the Asia-Pacific region and to provide forum to share on existing national, bilateral, sub-regional and regional arrangements to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration and to come up with regional input to the stocktaking meeting which will be held in Mexico in December 2017. Media Center Nepal, as a Chair of the Colombo Process, made a presentation in the “High-level Panel: Towards the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration” on 6th November 2017. H.E. Deepak Dhital, Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Nepal to UN and other International Organizations at Geneva highlighted on Colombo Process’s role in facilitating cooperation towards safe, orderly and regular migration. He also highlighted the outcome of the meeting of the Colombo Process Member States held in Kathmandu, and the relevance of the regional consultative processes on migration in the context of the development and eventual implementation of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. The full statement is uploaded below. The meeting was convened by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) in collaboration with other UN agencies including International Organization for Migration. DOWNLOAD Statement by H.E. Deepak Dhital, Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Nepal to UN and other International Organizations at Geneva, at the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration /media-centre/38-statements/entry/30-presentation-at-the-high-level-panel-towards-the-global-compact-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration

Second Senior Officials’ Meeting

Meetings

Colombo Process is a Regional Consultative Process on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin in Asia. Sri Lanka as the current Chair of Colombo Process, invited the Member States namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam for the 2nd Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Colombo Process which was held on 14th October, 2014 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This was the 6th round of the Colombo Process Member States Meeting since its inception in 2003. Media Center All Member States of the Colombo Process responded positively to the invitation extended by Sri Lanka and sent their full compliments of delegates to participate in the 6th round of the Colombo Process meeting which was followed by the 3rd Asia EU Dialogue on Labour Migration in Colombo.This afforded an opportunity for delegates of CP Member States to participate in Asia EU Dialogue and also to interact and engage with the delegates from Europe in a productive and constructive manner deliberating on the relevant agenda items in a friendly atmosphere. The agenda items for the 2nd Senior Officials’ Meeting revolved around and focused on the five thrust areas and five highly relevant thematic areas of Sri Lanka’s strategic vision for the Colombo Process 2014-15. The participating member states engaged in lively and in-depth discussions to arrive at action oriented programme for the benefit of migrant workers of the Member States and also to forage healthy relationship with the receiving countries. The member states agreed upon the concluding statement incorporating the summary of discussion and decision arrived at the 6th round of the Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Colombo. Finally, Heads of Delegations of Colombo Process Member States expressed their sincere thanks to the Government of Sri Lanka for hosting this meeting and for inviting them to participate as delegates. The 2nd Senior Officials’ Meeting was held under the auspices of Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare of Sri Lanka with the financial support of International Organizationfor Migration (IOM). DOWNLOAD: Agenda /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/14-second-senior-officials-meeting

Nepal, as the Chair of the Colombo Process, delivered a statement at the Global Compact for Migration Preparatory (stocktaking) Meeting

Statements

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 4 December 2017: The stocktaking phase of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is currently taking place from 4-6 December 2017 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Media Center The aim of the meeting is to pull together and analyze all relevant input received during the consultations phase. The outcomes of the stocktaking will feed into the zero draft of the Global Compact for Migration that will be prepared by the Co-facilitators, which will provide the basis for the third phase: intergovernmental negotiations. Nepal, as the Chair of the Colombo Process, made an intervention during the Retrospection Session of the Stocktaking Meeting on 4 December 2017. H. E. Deepak Dhital, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, recommended the Global Compact for Migration be developed and implemented in line with the principles and pledges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other inclusive, internationally agreed development and other frameworks relevant to migration. The full statement can be accessed from the link below: DOWNLOAD Statement by H. E. Deepak Dhital, Ambassador/Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations at Geneva, at the Retrospective session of the Preparatory (stocktaking) Meeting of the GCM. /media-centre/38-statements/entry/32-nepal-as-the-chair-of-the-colombo-process-delivered-a-statement-at-the-global-compact-for-migration-preparatory-stocktaking-meeting

The 5th Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Geneva-based Colombo Process Representatives

Meetings

The 5th Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Geneva-based Colombo Process representatives took place on 15 March 2016 at IOM Headquarters, and was pleased to have IOM’s Director General participate as well. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss amendments to the Operating Modalities as mandated by the 3rd Colombo Process SOM on 4-5 November 2015 to be worked on at the Geneva level. The Ambassadors along with their experts have come together numerous times over.... Media Center the past three years to also develop the CP Self-Funding Mechanism, which will be brought to the CP Ministerial Meeting later this year for final endorsement. The Geneva-based representatives meet on a regular basis on other important matters to support the progress of the Colombo Process. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/15-the-5th-ambassadorial-level-meeting-of-the-geneva-based-colombo-process-representatives

The Member States reaffirmed their concerted efforts for safe, orderly and regular migration of workers through the adoption of the Colombo Ministerial Declaration

Meetings

The 5th Ministerial Consultation of the Colombo Process was convened in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 25 August 2016 with the participation of Ministerial-level delegations from all 11 Member States. Media Center The one-day consultation was the culmination of the Sri Lanka’s second-term Chairmanship in the last three years, during which a number of tangible achievements were made by the Member States as the collective efforts at thematic, institutional and inter-regional levels. During her welcome statement, Hon. Thalatha Athukorala, Minister of Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka and the Chair of the Colombo Process, drew the delegates’ attention to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as “a historic step towards incorporating migration into mainstream global development policy” and highlighted how the CP’s commitment is in unison with the SDG targets by aiming to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible labour migration. H.E. William Lacy Swing, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who attended the event as an honorable guest, applauded that “the CP has demonstrated its ability to act as a catalytic platform to translate some of its aspirational aims into action.” Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, commended the CP’s concerted efforts, in particular on the five thematic priorities, and reiterated that “We are committed to ensuring that the migrant workers have safe and dignified employment abroad”. The Ministerial Consultation was preceded by the 4th Senior Officials’ Meeting, and during the both meetings, the Member States reviewed and affirmed the concrete accomplishments reached under the Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship, which included: Adoption of the CP Strategic Vision as a road map for the Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship; Collective progress in the five thematic priorities through the activation of the Thematic Area Working Groups and through national and regional programmes; Enhanced engagement with countries of destination through dialogue forums, notably the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) and the Asia-EU Dialogue; Deliberation on the CP institutional matters through the establishment of an ambassadorial and expert level groups in Geneva; Convening of four Senior Officials’ Meetings which facilitated the advancement both in thematic and institutional discussions. Honorable Ministers and Distinguished Heads of Delegation from 11 Member States also highlighted the national level achievements as well as remaining challenges to be addressed collectively by the CP through the country statements during the Ministerial Consultation. The one-day consultation was concluded with the adoption of the Colombo Ministerial Declaration, which laid down a number of key recommendations and decisions to further advance the collaborative actions of CP to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration of workers: Continue working on the five thematic areas in accordance with the goals and key tasks identified by the respective Thematic Area Working Groups; Continue engagement with destination countries and other dialogue forms, including ADD, the European Union, SAARC, and ASEAN; Provide recommendations to the next Ministerial Consultation on the following new thematic areas; Migrant Health Operationalization of the migration-related goals in the SDGs; Promotion of equality for women migrant workers; Consular support for Migrant Workers including migrant workers in countries experiencing crises, support to other CP nationals, information sharing; Continue enhancing the visibility of the CP as a Regional Consultative Process (RCP) and seek engagement with other RCPs; Adopted the revised CP Operating Modalities including a self-funding mechanism; Approved the establishment of the CP Technical Support Unit in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in support of the CP goals. The Ministerial Declaration was also marked by the Member States’ unanimous welcome to Cambodia as the 12th Member State of the CP. It was also agreed that Sri Lanka continues consultations as to the next Chairmanship. The closing ceremony was enriched by a number of statements from partners and observers, including Cambodia as the new member, the ADD Permanent Office, the Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Ingenious Medicine, Sri Lanka, as the Host of 2nd Global Consultation on Migrant Health, UN Women as the Chair of the Global Migration Group, and Civil Society. The Ministerial Consultation was followed by the press conference, during which Hon. Thalatha Athukorala, Minister of Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka and the Chair of the Colombo Process, officially launched the new Colombo Process website. The next Ministerial Consultation is scheduled in 2018. DOWNLOAD Colombo Declaration /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/17-the-member-states-reaffirmed-their-concerted-efforts-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration-of-workers-through-the-adoption-of-the-colombo-ministerial-declaration

Hon. Minister Thalatha Atukorale says “Colombo Process will seek to be a bridge between labour sending and receiving countries in Asia”

Meetings

The Minister of Foreign Employment, Hon. Thalatha Atukorale, who is also the Chair-in-Office of the Colombo Process (CP) has said, Sri Lanka is providing leadership for the CP to be a bridge between labour sending and receiving countries fostering strong partnership for the Asian region. Media Center She said “the CP will soon agree on the role it can play in supporting the overall implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to migration with a specific focus on contractual labour migrants”, “benefitting from the experience of having worked on issues such as ethical labour recruitment, migrant health and remittances over the past 2 years.” The Hon. Minister said “in the forthcoming negotiations on developing the ‘Global Compact on Migration by 2018’ the CP should be ready to engage constructively, building on the SDGs framework.” The Hon. Minister made these observations when she addressed the 6th Global Meeting of Chairs and Secretaries of Regional Consultative Processes on Migration, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the Thursday of 13 October 2016. The delegation to the Meeting included Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva H.E. Ravinatha Aryasinha, Deputy Permanent Representative Ms. Samantha Jayasuriya, Counsellor Ms. Shashika Somaratne, and Acting Deputy General Manager of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Mr. D.G.G.S. Yapa. DOWNLOAD Full statement made by the Hon. Thalatha Atukorale, Minister of Foreign Employment /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/19-hon-minister-thalatha-atukorale-says-colombo-process-will-seek-to-be-a-bridge-between-labour-sending-and-receiving-countries-in-asia

Ambassadors of the Colombo Process Member States in Sri Lanka gather for the latest update on the progress and achievements of the Colombo Process under the Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship

Meetings

Under the auspices of Honourable Thalatha Atukorale, the Minister of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka, and the Chair-in-Office of the Colombo Process (CP), the Colombo Process Ambassadors’ Meeting in Colombo was convened by the Ministry of Foreign Employment (MFE), Sri Lanka, on 5 January 2017. Media Center The meeting was graced by the attendance of Excellencies from the Diplomatic Missions of the Colombo Process Member States (CPMS), Senior Officials of the Diplomatic Missions, and Senior Officials from the MFE and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. Honourable Thalatha Atukorale, in her welcome remarks, stated that the CP’s collective efforts have brought about positive developments in protecting migrant workers in key countries of destination (CODs), such as the introduction of new laws and regulations and transparent recruitment mechanisms. She highlighted the need for the CP’s concerted efforts to achieve the migration-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of its work plans. His Excellency Mr. Riaz Hamidullah, High Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, expressed appreciation for the CP Chair-in-Office for hosting the meeting and stressed the importance of relaying discussions from the CP to the deliberations on the Global Compact on Safe and Orderly Migration Process in Thematic level achievements, especially the activation of Thematic Area Working Groups and the development of an online repository in support of the five thematic New York. During the meeting, the Distinguished Participants received a comprehensive update on the progress and achievements of the CP under the Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship over the last three years. The following achievements were highlighted with assistance from the CP Technical Support Unit: priories of the CP; Institutional level achievements, including the revisions to the CP Operating Modalities and the adoption of a self-funding mechanism; At inter-regional and international level, the CP has enhanced its cooperation with CODs and other dialogue forums, notably the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD). It is also gaining an important recognition for its role and contribution to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. As the way forward for the CP, the thematic actions envisaged for 2017 were shared, in particular with regard to further advancing the five thematic priorities. Concrete activities envisaged for the Consular Support for Migrant Workers were also shared as one of the new thematic areas of the CP. During the discussion, Mr. Janbaz Khan, Counselor, High Commission of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, concurred with the need for the CPMS to prepare for achieving the relevant targets of SDGs. Referring to the Consular Support for Migrant Workers, he highlighted the importance of tapping into the expertise within the region by explaining the web-based applications developed for the immigration and law enforcement in Punjab as an apt example of such expertise. Expectations were also voiced by the Distinguished Participants towards further avenues to strengthen cooperation with CODs as a result of Sri Lanka’s assuming the ADD Chairmanship. Mr. G.S. Withanage, Secretary of MFE, concluded the meeting by affirming the possible avenues with CODs, and stressed the importance of continued commitment of the CP to create a better and decent work environment for all migrant workers. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/20-ambassadors-of-the-colombo-process-member-states-in-sri-lanka-gather-for-the-latest-update-on-the-progress-and-achievements-of-the-colombo-process-under-the-sri-lanka-s-chairmanship

Thematic Area Working Group on Skills and Qualification Recognition met for its Second Meeting via Bluejeans

Meetings

The Chair of the Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Skills and Qualification Recognition, Sri Lanka, convened the Second Meeting for the TAWG on 1 December 2016. This was the very first meeting for the CP Member States (CPMS) to exclusively meet online by using the video conference tool, Bluejeans. Media Center The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss the Terms of Reference for the TAWG in order to move forward the agreed goals and key tasks for the TAWG through regular meetings. The meeting also provided an avenue for the TAWG members to exchange good practices and lessons learned through the updates on country and regional initiatives. Sri Lanka presented an update on their participation in the UAE pilot project on skills development, certification, upgrading and recognition. This initiative between a country of destination (COD) and countries of origin (COO) from the Colombo Process (CP) region is regarded as a promising model that will facilitate the mutual recognition of upgraded skills of migrant workers, and the CP has agreed to promote the wider replication of good practices and lessons learned from the initiative in other CPMS. Another TAWG member, Afghanistan, gave an update on the progress at the policy front, highlighting the development of a National Labour Policy, a Labour Migration Policy and a National Employment Strategy. The representative also shared the key outputs that the Government of Afghanistan aims to pursue through future projects, including formalization of institutional support for labour migration and public awareness on regular migration. From the development partners, ILO shared the key findings from their research study on “mapping of the skills assessment procedures, certification standards and equivalencies between Sri Lanka, UAE and Kuwait in identified occupations in the construction industry”. One of the suggestions highlighted from the research findings was the importance of involving experienced returnee migrants in the pool of instructors as well as upgrading the training equipment available at training facilities in view of aligning with the requirements and technologies of CODs. Mr. K.O.D.D. Fernando, General Manager of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, in his concluding remarks, congratulated the TAWG members for the successful convening of the meeting first time online, and stressed the importance for the TAWG members to continue engaging in sharing knowledge and ideas through this platform. The TAWG members have agreed to meet biannually. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/21-thematic-area-working-group-on-skills-and-qualification-recognition-met-for-its-second-meeting-via-bluejeans

Summary Report of the Fourth Senior Officials’ Meeting and the Fifth Ministerial Consultation of the Colombo Process

Publications

The Fourth Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) and the Fifth Ministerial Consultation of the Colombo Process (CP) were convened on 24 - 25 August 2016. Preceded by the Fourth SOM where thematic discussions took place, the Fifth Ministerial Consultation was the culmination of the last three years of Sri Lanka’s second term as Chair of the CP. Media Center During this time, a number of tangible achievements were made by the Member States as collective efforts at thematic, institutional and inter-regional levels. The meetings also served as a platform for the CP Member States to review and affirm the concrete accomplishments reached under Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship. The Fifth Ministerial Consultation concluded with the adoption of the Colombo Process Ministerial Declaration, which laid down a number of key recommendations and decisions to further advance the collaborative actions of the CP to ensure safe, orderly and regular migration of workers. It was also marked by the official entry of Cambodia into the CP as the twelfth Member State. DOWNLOAD: Summary Report of the Fourth Senior Officials’ Meeting and the Fifth Ministerial Consultation /media-centre/30-publications/entry/22-summary-report-of-the-fourth-senior-officials-meeting-and-the-fifth-ministerial-consultation-of-the-colombo-process

Senior Officials of the Colombo Process Member States gathered in Colombo to discuss ways to harmonize the regulatory frameworks for recruitment agencies

Meetings

Across the Colombo Process Member States, regulating private recruitment agencies attract policy attention and efforts, given their predominance in international recruitment of migrant workers in Asia. Media Center Senior officials of the Colombo Process Member States met in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 23 August 2016 to precisely discuss this issue at the Regional Symposium on “Promoting Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries in Colombo Process Member States.” The Regional Symposium was the first of three Regional Symposiums which support one of the key thematic priorities of the Colombo Process, namely Fostering Ethical Recruitment by addressing gaps and reducing differences in recruitment policies and legislation among the CP Member States and with key countries of destination. The First Regional Symposium aimed at: identifying existing regulatory gaps and differences vis-à-vis global standards; and, building consensus on the need for collaborative actions for promoting regulatory harmonization. In his opening remarks, Mr. G. S. Withanage, the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Employment, Sri Lanka, highlighted that private recruitment agencies are integral part of facilitating migration, and when they do not act ethically, migrant workers face serious issues such as high recruitment fees, deceit about terms and conditions of employment contracts and the processing of forged documents, which are common complaints on the misconduct of recruitment agencies in the CP countries. He expressed his hope that the symposium would pave the way to identify gaps in our own regulatory frameworks and differences within the CP Member States and with countries of destination to help address this issue. The discussions at the symposium primarily evolved around two Interactive Panel Discussions, in which Dr. Ray Jureidini, Professor of Migration Ethics and Human Rights from Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar acted as the Host. The Panel Discussions, which focused on “Global standards and initiatives in Ethical Recruitment” and “Existing regulatory gaps and differences”, were enriched by diverse resource persons and discussants from the CP Member States, countries of destination, the private sector, the association of recruitment agencies, and IOM. The interactive discussions yielded the following key recommendations including: Enhanced understanding of recruitment processes and formal and informal actors involved in the processes thorough research; Improved capacities of recruitment agencies through industry-led associations, notably the Overseas Employment Service Providers - Alliance of Asian Associations (OESPAAA); Streamlined government systems/ alternative mechanisms for international recruitment, such as G2G arrangements or e-processes; Strengthened recruitment monitoring; Strengthened complaint mechanisms through increased collaboration with countries of destination; Improved awareness among migrant workers of risks involved in agency-facilitated migration at every stage of migration; Clarity on fees to be borne by migrant workers; Strengthened engagement with all stakeholders including employers, the private sector, and CSOs; and, Standardized terms of employment for domestic workers by reflecting labour standards and concerns. The Second Symposium, which is scheduled in early 2017, will build on these key recommendations and further discuss priority collaborative actions. The Regional Symposium was convened within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in Colombo Process countries” with funding support from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. DOWNLOAD Report of the First Regional Symposium on “Promoting Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries in the Colombo Process Member States” /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/18-senior-officials-of-the-colombo-process-member-states-gathered-in-colombo-to-discuss-ways-to-harmonize-the-regulatory-frameworks-for-recruitment-agencies

The 9th Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Geneva-based Colombo Process Representatives

Meetings

The 9th Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Geneva-based Colombo Process representatives took place on 4 August 2017 at IOM Headquarters. This was the first official meeting convened by the Government of Nepal as the new Chair of the Colombo Process. Media Center The Ambassadors were pleased to have the IOM Chief of Staff give opening remarks and receive closing remarks from the Director General upon his return from his urgent mission to Libya given the worsening situation there. The primary purpose of the meeting was to discuss CP engagement in the Global Compact on Migration (GCM) process. Other important items discussed included an update by CPTSU on the five thematic priorities, and update on the suggested new areas of focus, and on administrative matters with respect to the annual contributions for the ‘Self-Funding Mechanism’ that will be used to finance CP Senior Officials’ Meetings and Ministerial Meetings. Although this was the first meeting under Nepal’s newly assumed leadership, the Geneva-based representatives have met numerous times over the past few years at both the Expert and Ambassador levels. They hope to meet again prior to the CP meeting on the GCM in mid-September to support drafting the CP common contribution to the GCM to be discussed during this meeting which is scheduled to take place on 13-14 September in Kathmandu. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/27-the-9th-ambassadorial-level-meeting-of-the-geneva-based-colombo-process-representatives

Colombo Process Member States Consultation on Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)

Meetings

The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, which was adopted by Member States of the UN on 19 September 2016, initiated a process of intergovernmental consultations and negotiations to develop a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Media Center Guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the GCM is envisaged to contribute to global governance and enhanced cooperation on migrants and human mobility. The Modalities Resolution adopted in April 2017 established the procedures for the development of the GCM and encouraged effective participation in the intergovernmental conference and its preparatory process by all relevant stakeholders, including member states, civil society, the private sector, academic institutions, parliaments, diaspora communities, and migrant organizations. The resolution provides the basis for a series of thematic, regional and multi-stakeholder consultations to be convened between April and November 2017, to canvass views, perspectives and best practices. The Colombo Declaration adopted at the August 2016 Ministerial level meeting, took note of the intergovernmental process to develop a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. To develop a common position on GCM, the representatives of the Colombo Process Member States (CPMS) gathered for a consultation held on 13 – 14 of September 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The primary purpose of the consultation was to discuss CP engagement in the GCM process. Inaugurating the meeting, State Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Employment Nepal Honourable Dilli Bahadur Chaudhari stated that “while we (CPMS) discuss on our common position and recommendations to move ahead, we must not forget that the migrants from our countries immensely contribute to the development, prosperity and diversity of the transit and destination countries.” He further stated “this is an opportune time for us as the CPMS to strongly raise the common concerns of our migrants and suggest better options to address the issue which will also be beneficial for the transit and destination countries to better manage the migrants and in providing services to the migrants.” H.E. Deepak Dhital, Permanent Representative/Ambassador of Nepal to Geneva made a presentation on the draft statement agreed at the CP expert level meeting in Geneva on 8th of September 2017. The senior officials of the CPMS shared their experiences and identified common issues, set of recommendations and provided input in revising the draft statement. The discussions and recommendations were based on the inputs put forward by the five CP Thematic Area Working Groups in line with the current priorities: (a) Skills and qualification recognition processes of labour migrants, (b) Fostering ethical recruitment (c) Effective pre-departure orientation and empowerment for migrant workers (d) Remittances, and (e) International labour market analysis. Contributions made by other Regional Consultative Processes, Global Dialogues and other stakeholders were shared during the meeting. H.E. Roland Schäfer, Ambassador Designate, Embassy of Germany in Nepal made a brief presentation on Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) on GCM. Similarly, Mr. Vimalarathna Wansekara Mudiyanselage, Additional General Manager - International Affairs, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, Government of Sri Lanka presented on the contributions to GCM by the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD). Germany and Sri Lanka are the Chair of GFMD and ADD respectively. In addition, Mr. William Gois, Regional Coordinator of the Migrant Forum in Asia briefly presented the civil society perspective to GCM. The consultation provided the CPMS an excellent opportunity to collate and reflect on collective experiences and effective practices to address migration challenges and opportunities and ensure that the regional perspective is reflected in the CP statement on the GCM. The outcome of this meeting, the joint Colombo Process contribution to the GCM, will be shared at the Regional United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) consultation in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as submitted for consideration at the GCM stocktaking meeting in Mexico. Concluding the event, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment Nepal, Mr. Laxman Prasad Mainali stated that “CPMS common position to GCM will help develop a better compact that will lead to the successful GCM and will be a milestone document for advocating greater protection for the migrants in vulnerable situation, better matching of labour needs with available skills and leveraging of remittances for development.” The consultation was hosted by the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The event was supported by the UN Migration Agency (IOM) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). DOWNLOAD Joint Recommendations of the Colombo Process for the Global Compact on Migration Summary Report of the Colombo Process Member States' Consultation on Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/28-colombo-process-member-states-consultation-on-global-compact-for-safe-orderly-and-regular-migration-gcm

Colombo Process convened the first joint Thematic Area Working Group meeting on Skills and Qualification Recognition and Labour Market Analysis

Meetings

Sri Lanka as the Chair of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Skills and Qualification Recognition and Thailand as the Chair of the TAWG on Labour Market Analysis co-hosted a joint TAWG meeting on 23-24 January 2018 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Media Center Under the theme of “Building synergy between Skills and Qualification Recognition and Labour Market Analysis”, a total of 64 Senior and Technical Officials from the twelve Member States of the Colombo Process and resource persons participated in the two-day meeting. Resource persons were invited from the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), key countries of destination, international organizations, and private sector. The joint TAWG meeting was convened in recognition of the importance of building synergy between the two interlinked thematic priorities of the Colombo Process, as reliable labour market information is imperative for informing skilling programmes of migrant workers while a robust skills and qualification recognition framework will facilitate improved migrant workers’ access to existing and new labour markets. The meeting was co-organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in Colombo Process countries” with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Under the broad objective to provide an avenue for the Member States to engage in in-depth thematic discussions in line with the respective TAWG goals and key tasks, Day 1 of the meeting was dedicated to Skills and Qualification Recognition. The key focus of the discussion was exploring possibilities to establish a Regional Qualification Framework (RQF) including a draft road map towards RQF. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for migrant workers was another key topic of the discussions as well as exploring various models of skilling migrant workers that are being initiated in the region. Day 2 focused on Labour Market Analysis, covering capacity building of Labour Market Research and Analysis units, gauging labour market trends and experiences of countries of destination (CODs). A representative from the Government of Bahrain presented on their Flexi Permit System as a pilot initiative and a representative from the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, the Republic of Korea, shared the country’s Employment Permit System. Participants also discussed joint programme activities in this area and agreed to conduct a baseline survey of Labour Market Information Systems of the Member States, replacing the previously agreed activity to develop a Labour Market Research Operational Guide. They also agreed to convene a training workshop for labour attachés who play the key role in collecting labour market information in CODs. Given that the joint meeting also served as the second face-to-face meeting of both TAWGs, in the last session of the meeting, each TAWG met as a group, assessed progress towards their respective goals and key tasks, and identified priority points for future meetings. Salient points from the group discussions that were shared in the concluding plenary discussion included: • Both groups agreed that TAWG meetings are serving as a valuable platform for sharing experiences, concrete initiatives and researches among the Member States. • Members of the TAWG on Skills and Qualification Recognition shared that they will focus on linking the national, bilateral and regional efforts regarding qualification recognition frameworks, noting that bilateral/ corridor approaches may yield gains in the short-term compared to a regional approach. However, a feasibility study could be carried out to explore the process – likely beginning with benchmarking among countries of origin (COOs) and later linking with CODs. • Members of the TAWG on Labour Market Analysis stated that their priorities will be the baseline survey of Labour Market Information Systems of the Member States and the training workshop for labour attachés as the agreed joint activities. They also expressed desire for further engagement with CODs to cooperate in this thematic area. The outcomes of the group discussions, including the above points, will feed into the respective TAWG Chair’s reporting at the next Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Colombo Process. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/33-colombo-process-convened-the-first-joint-thematic-area-working-group-meeting-on-skills-and-qualification-recognition-and-labour-market-analysis

Colombo Process Member States agreed on Action Points to take forward collectively to advance Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries

Meetings

The Colombo Process recognizes that ensuring safe and transparent recruitment remains one of the challenges within overseas employment from the Colombo Process countries and strives to address the challenges through harmonizing policies and regulations throughout the Member States and enhanced cooperation with countries of destination and various key stakeholders. Media Center The Senior Officials of the Colombo Process Member States (CPMS) gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, on 13-14 March 2018 for the final in a series of three symposiums entitled “Promoting Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries in the Colombo Process Member States”. This third and final symposium served as a platform for CPMS to reflect discussions from the first and second symposiums, discuss strategies for collaboration, and identify regional priority actions for joint implementation by the Member States. To aid the discussion, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) compiled a synthesis report based on the discussions, recommendations and action points from the previous symposiums, as a key reference document of the symposium. The symposium was inaugurated by welcome remarks from His Excellency Dr. Khaga Nath Adhikari, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative to ESCAP, Embassy of Nepal in Thailand, representing Nepal as Chair of the Colombo Process. In his speech, the Ambassador thanked IOM and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for the continued support to the Colombo Process, and highlighted that it is the shared responsibility of all to ensure the safety and protection of the migrant workers, given their significant contributions to the national economies through remittances and sharing of acquired skills and knowledge on return to their home countries. Mr. Benil Thevarasa, Head of Migration and Development Unit, Global Programme Migration and Development Office, Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, representing SDC, noted that the Government of Switzerland recognizes the accomplishments of CPMS in fostering ethical recruitment and reiterated the importance of cooperation among all concerned stakeholders to prevent abuses and ensure ethical recruitment practices. Emphasizing that “no one actor on its own can solve the problem associated with unethical recruitment practices”, Dr. Nenette Motus, Regional Director, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, reaffirmed IOM’s readiness to continue its support to the Colombo Process in their efforts to foster ethical recruitment. She also stressed that ethical recruitment is highly pertinent to the on-going preparation for the development of the Global Compact for Migration. The symposium, which was attended by 52 persons including Senior Officials from all twelve CPMS, resource persons and key partners, consisted of a set of three thematic sessions in line with the three areas of cooperation identified at the second symposium: 1) Regulatory harmonization amongst the Colombo Process countries; 2) Collaboration with countries of destination; and, 3) Collaboration with the private sector. Each thematic session was enriched by the participation of diverse resource persons, who were invited from the country of destination, private sector including representatives from employers, employers’ federations, business alliances and recruitment agency associations, UN agencies, and civil society organizations. Together with the CPMS officials, they shared the updates and latest initiatives relevant to specific action points identified for the above three areas of cooperation. The presentation by a high-level government official from Bahrain highlighted on the country’s Flexi Permit System and the processes to enter into this system. The presentations by the resource persons representing employers, a global brand, and labour recruiters brought diverse discussions on demand for ethical recruitment. At the end of the thematic sessions, possible strategies to implement specific action points for each thematic area of cooperation were presented by IOM for discussion among the representatives of the CPMS. Ms. Nasreen Jahan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare & Overseas Employment, Bangladesh, chaired the discussion as the Chair of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on fostering Ethical Recruitment. After thorough deliberations, the Member States have identified “Regulatory harmonization amongst the Colombo Process countries” as the priority cooperation area and agreed to take forward the following action points in 2018-2019: Rating mechanism of recruitment agencies: mapping of existing rating mechanisms in CPMS and sharing of good practices and lessons learned with a view to strengthening existing rating systems at the national level; and, Provision of inputs to the global guidelines to define and make transparent recruitment fees and related costs: integration of discussions on recruitment costs and fees in TAWG meetings on fostering ethical recruitment and preparation of a Colombo Process position paper. The symposium was concluded by the closing remarks and words of appreciation by Mr. Tej Raj Pandey, Joint Secretary, Foreign Employment and Labor Attaché Division, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nepal as Chair of the Colombo Process. Mr. Pandey highlighted on the need of the countries of origin, transit and destination to work together to empower and protect migrant workers. This Symposium was convened within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in the Colombo Process countries” with funding support from SDC. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/34-colombo-process-member-states-agreed-on-action-points-to-take-forward-collectively-to-advance-regulatory-harmonization-of-recruitment-intermediaries

Colombo Process Member States gathered to discuss good practices as well as possible obstacles to migrant workers’ access to Complaints Mechanisms

Meetings

Enhancing migrant workers’ access to Complaints Mechanisms is an integral part of the Colombo Process’ efforts for promoting Ethical Recruitment. Complaints lodged by migrant workers enable the Member States to detect violation in the recruitment process and identify areas for improvement within their recruitment monitoring systems whilst facilitating the workers’ access to necessary support and remedies. Media Center Under the leadership of Bangladesh as the Chair of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on fostering Ethical Recruitment, Senior Officials of the Colombo Process Member States (CPMS) gathered for a one-day regional workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, on 15 March 2018, to discuss good practices as well as possible challenges to migrant workers’ access to Complaints Mechanisms. The workshop based its discussion on the key findings and discussion points that have emerged from the study on “Mapping of Complaints Mechanisms in the Colombo Process countries”, which the International Organization for Migration (IOM) carried out in 2017 and presented as a working document at the workshop. The workshop was convened back to back with the Colombo Process Third Symposium on “Promoting Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries in the CPMS” so as to build synergy between the two inter-related areas of the Colombo Process’ work on ethical recruitment, namely “recruitment policies and regulations” and “complaints mechanisms as an integral part of recruitment monitoring”. In her welcome remarks, Ms. Nasreen Jahan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bangladesh, as the TAWG Chair, highlighted the importance of effective complaints mechanisms that can streamline and handle complaints from migrant workers efficiently, which in turn will help facilitate better cooperation between the country of origin (COO) and the country of destination (COD). She encouraged the participants to identify practical solutions to address possible obstacles that may be affecting migrant workers’ access to justice. Mr. Benil Thevarasa, Head of Migration and Development Unit, Global Programme Migration and Development Office, Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, representing the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), emphasized the importance of complaints mechanisms in order to maximise the postitive effects and minimize negative consequenses of international labour migration. He stressed that all stakeholders need to come together to identify practical actions to ensure migrant workers’ access to griviance mechanisms. Ms. Lara White, Senior Labour Migration and Human Development Specialist, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, stated that IOM is pleased to share the outcome of the mapping exercise, which aimed to provide consolidated information on complaints mechanisms in the CPMS as well as to highlight the initiatives in major destinations and by various stakeholders. She also noted IOM’s appreciation to the CPMS, SDC and partners for generous support and inputs extended to the mapping study and the compilation of the study report. The workshop, which was attended by 52 persons in total, was comprised of interactive plenary and group discussions around the following four themes: Complaints Mechanisms in the CPMS; Initiatives in major destinations for migrant workers from Colombo Process countries; Initiatives to address migrant workers’ grievances by various stakeholders; and, Possible obstacles to migrant workers’ access to Complaints Mechanisms. The plenary discussions, which were enriched by diverse presentations by the CPMS delegates and resource persons, highlighted that a number of good and innovative practices exist in the CPMS and in major destinations by the governments, often in collaboration with development partners and UN agencies, as well as by civil society organizations and the private sector to make the mechanisms and services to address migrant workers’ grievances effective. The discussion also revealed that certain challenges exist in the current systems and migrant workers’ access to remedies, which was further discussed in group discussions. Two groups consisting of the CPMS delegates, resource persons and partners, deliberated on possible obstacles to migrant workers’ access to Complaints Mechanisms by categorizing them under two themes related to: i) systems in COOs and CODs; and, ii) knowledge, skills and negotiation power of migrant workers. While reviewing the possible obstacles under each theme, the participants discussed and identified the ways to address such obstacles, good practices and initiatives that already exist in the CPMS to address them. The workshop ended with a rich compilation of good and innovative practices as well as initiatives and practical ideas for addressing possible obstacles to migrant workers’ access to justice, which will be reflected in the consolidation and finalization of the mapping report. Ms. Nasreen Jahan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Bangladesh, as the TAWG Chair concluded the workshop with her closing remarks, thanking the participants for having shared rich and diverse initiatives and actively contributed to the discussion that in turn will help enrich the mapping report as well as facilitate the CPMS’ efforts to enhance complaints mechanisms. The workshop was convened within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in the Colombo Process countries” with funding support from SDC. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/35-colombo-process-member-states-gathered-to-discuss-good-practices-as-well-as-possible-obstacles-to-migrant-workers-access-to-complaints-mechanisms

Pakistan, as the Chair of Thematic Area Working Group on Remittances, took part in the panel discussion on Remittances as a lever for the SDGs at the Global Remittances Forum

Meetings

Pakistan, as the Chair of Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Remittances, was invited as a guest speaker to the Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development (GFRID) 2018, which was convened from 8 – 10 May 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The forum was hosted by Bank Negara Malaysia in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Bank Group. Media Center With recognition of their active role as the Chair of Colombo Process TAWG on Remittances and the country’s proactive initiatives towards the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10.c., reducing the transaction costs of migrant remittances, Pakistan was invited to speak at the plenary session “Remittances as a lever for the SDGs: how to multiply their effects through enabling policies” on Day 3 of the event as the Public Sector Day. Mr. Muhammad Ismail Iqbal, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistani & Human Resource Development, the Government of Pakistan, participated as a panelist in the session, and shared Pakistan’s role as the Chair of TAWG on Remittances in the Colombo Process platform while also elaborating on the country’s successful initiative, Pakistan Remittance Initiative, which has enabled the country to reduce the transaction costs of remittances significantly. Mr. Iqbal emphasized that Remittances contribute to multiple SDGs beyond 10.c., such as Goal 1 “End poverty”, Goal 4 “Quality education”, Goal 5 “Gender equality”, and Goal 8 “Economic Growth” to name a few by citing examples of good practices and initiatives shared in the TAWG Remittances meetings. Being asked about the governments’ role in leveraging Remittances for achieving SDGs, Mr. Iqbal responded that the governments’ role is devising effective policies to facilitate the channeling of Remittances in the right direction so as to maximize the benefits of Remittances for migrants, families, communities and national economies. Remittances is one of the current five thematic priorities of the Colombo Process, and specific recommendations related to Remittances are strongly featured in the Colombo Process Joint Recommendations to the Global Compact for Migration. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/36-pakistan-as-the-chair-of-thematic-area-working-group-on-remittances-took-part-in-the-panel-discussion-on-remittances-as-a-lever-for-the-sdgs-at-the-global-remittances-forum

Philippines hosted the Fourth Meeting of the Thematic Area Working Group on Pre-Departure Orientation and Empowerment in Manila

Meetings

Philippines as Chair of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Pre-Departure Orientation and Empowerment (PDOE) hosted the Fourth Meeting of the TAWG on 24 July 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The meeting was convened back-to-back with the Fourth Meeting of the TAWG on Remittances recognizing the important linkages between the two thematic areas, particularly in relation to financial education for migrant workers. Media Center The one-day meeting brought together 52 participants, including representatives from all twelve Member States of the Colombo Process, with the aim to provide an avenue for the participants to engage in in-depth discussions on national, regional and global initiatives related to PDOE. The meeting also served as an apt opportunity for the participants to deliberate on how the Colombo Process under TAWG on PDOE could contribute to the PDOE-related objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), as the final draft of the GCM was made available as a result of the final round of intergovernmental negotiations of the GCM in mid-July. In opening the meeting, Mr. Hans Leo J. Cacdac, Administrator, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Labor and Employment, representing the Government of Philippines as the TAWG PDOE Chair, highlighted the importance of empowering migrant workers through effective orientations, citing that the Philippines was the pioneer of initiating the pre-departure orientation for migrant workers as early as 1983. He expressed hope that the meeting would “contribute to continue dialogues and enrich discussions to improve on strategies and pursue efforts toward attaining shared goals for the protection of migrant workers and their families in the global environment”. Mr. Benil Thavarasa, Head of Migration and Development Unit, Global Programme on Migration and Development, Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, representing the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) emphasized in his remarks that the collaboration between countries of origin and countries of destination is imperative for effective orientations for migrant workers, as exemplified by the Comprehensive Information & Orientation Programme (CIOP) as the initiative of Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD). He also stressed that PDO programmes must be gender sensitive and include discussions on migrant workers’ rights and obligations. Ms. Kristin Dadey, the Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Philippines, welcomed the discussion on GCM objectives as one of the key agenda items of both TAWG meetings, noting that IOM has been designated as the Coordinator and Secretariat of a new UN Migration Network which is responsible for effective and coherent system-wide support to the implementation of the GCM. She stipulated that in this capacity, IOM remains ready to support the Colombo Process to deliberate on its contribution to the implementation of the GCM. Building on the outcomes of the previous TAWG PDOE meetings, the Fourth Meeting covered key issues of concern to the Member States, including the next phases of CIOP with focus on pre-employment orientation and post-arrival orientation, social protection policies and programmes of the Member States including bilateral social security agreements, empowerment initiatives of ASEAN and SAARC through regional consensus and declaration, and activities by civil society organizations. Consular support for migrant workers was another key topic of discussions, given the close linkage between the protection of migrant workers and this new thematic area of the Colombo Process. These discussions were enriched by the participation of many resource persons from the government agencies, international organizations, academia and civil society organization. In the final session of the meeting, the participants discussed action points of the GCM Objectives 3 “Provide accurate and timely information at all stages of migration” and 16 “Empower migrants and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion”. It was agreed that the following action points are of particular importance to the Colombo Process: improve systematic cooperation at all levels to exchange information on migration-related trends; open and accessible information points along relevant migration routes; and, promote multi-lingual, gender-responsive and evidence-based information campaigns in cooperation with various actors including private sector, migrant and diaspora organizations and civil society. On the morning of 26 July, the delegates from the Member States were invited to visit the Blas F. Ople Development Center of OWWA. Hosted by the TAWG PDOE Chair, the site visit served as a unique opportunity for the Member State delegates to learn the Philippines’ comprehensive PDO and Reintegration Programmes for Overseas Filipino Workers through presentations, discussions, along with a tour of the facilities. The Fourth Meeting of TAWG PDOE was convened within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in Colombo Process countries” with funding support from SDC. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/37-philippines-hosted-the-fourth-meeting-of-the-thematic-area-working-group-on-pre-departure-orientation-and-empowerment-in-manila

Colombo Process gathered to discuss Remittance issues and initiatives at the Fourth Meeting of Thematic Area Working Group on Remittances chaired by Pakistan

Meetings

Pakistan as the Chair of the Colombo Process Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on Remittances convened the Fourth Meeting of the TAWG on 25 July 2018 in Manila, Philippines.The meeting followed the Fourth Meeting of the TAWG on Pre-Departure Orientation and Empowerment (PDOE), which was hosted by the Philippines on the previous day, with the participation of the same representatives from all twelve Member States of the Colombo Process so as to build synergies between the two thematic areas. Media Center Under the primary objective to provide a platform for in-depth discussions on the issues salient to the TAWG on Remittances, the Fourth Meeting gathered 54 participants, including the Member State delegates and a representative from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), as well as a rich array of resource persons from central banks of Malaysia, Pakistan and the Philippines, international organizations including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank Group, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the private sector representatives. The meeting also provided an avenue for the participants to discuss how the Colombo Process under TAWG on Remittances could contribute to the Remittance-related objective of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), which will be adopted at the Intergovernmental Conference in December 2018. Mr. Noor Zaman, Senior Joint Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development, representing the Government of Pakistan as the TAWG Remittances Chair, highlighted in his introductory remarks that the TAWG Remittances has been successful in providing an active platform for the Member States to share their best practices in the field of remittances, which would bring transparency and efficiency to the remittance cycle. He stated that the meeting would play a pivotal role in making further progress towards the TAWG Remittances goals. The meeting agenda, which was guided by the TAWG goals and the outcomes of the previous TAWG Remittances meetings, covered the following key topics: reducing costs of remittance transfers in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target; improving access to formal remittance channels; and, maximizing the use of remittances beyond household consumption through building financial literacy among migrant workers and families. Discussions from the Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development (GFRID) 2018 was another key agenda item, given Pakistan’s participation in this important global forum as a guest speaker representing the TAWG on Remittances. The meeting served as an important platform for exchanging updates and innovative initiatives related to remittances. For instance, during the session on GFRID 2018, an IFAD resource person introduced RemitSCOPE, which was launched at GFRID 2018, as a website portal to provide the data and analyses related to the remittances market in Asia. In relation to reducing costs of remittance transfers, a resource person from the State Bank of Pakistan explained how the Pakistan Remittance Initiative turned the challenges into key factors for the success and attained the increase of remittances through regular channels by six times over the period of eight years. Regarding the improved access to formal remittance channels, resource persons from the Bank Negara Malaysia and the World Bank Group jointly elaborated on the Greenback Project 2.0 as an innovative initiative to increase efficiency and transparency in the remittance market through conducting various awareness raising programmes on the use of formal remittance services, targeting migrant workers in Malaysia. The final session of the meeting was dedicated to the discussion on the action points of the GCM Objective 20 “Promote faster, safer and cheaper transfer of remittances and foster financial inclusion of migrants”. Through group and plenary discussions, the participants agreed that the following action points are especially pertinent to the Colombo Process: develop a roadmap to reduce the transaction costs of migrant remittances in line with the SDG target; promote and support the UN International Day of Family Remittances and the GFRID as an important platform to build and strengthen partnerships with all relevant stakeholders; establish conducive policy and regulatory frameworks that promote a competitive and innovative remittance market; and, develop innovative technological solutions for remittance transfer. The Fourth Meeting of TAWG Remittances was convened within the framework of IOM’s Regional Project “Strengthening Labour Migration Governance through Regional Cooperation in Colombo Process countries”, with funding support from SDC. /media-centre/29-meetings/entry/38-colombo-process-gathered-to-discuss-remittance-issues-and-initiatives-at-the-fourth-meeting-of-thematic-area-working-group-on-remittances-chaired-by-pakistan

Message from Mr. Mahesh Prasad Dahal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Government of Nepal.

Statements

The Colombo Process (CP) Member States are engaged in regular dialogues and cooperation to make important strides in improving labour mobility and migration governance to ensure the economic well-being, social protection and fundamental rights of the migrant workers. Media Center The operational thematic areas of CP have contributed to the process by setting common goals, thematic priorities and practical measures. The joint efforts of the CP Member States in improving cross-border management of labour migration are getting appreciated in the global context. A recent example is the incorporation of almost all points of the joint recommendations of the CP Member States into the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). Nepal, as the chair of the CP is organizing a Senior Officials Meeting followed by a Ministerial Consultation on 15 and 16 of November this year. This provides a unique opportunity for the member states to come together and plan ahead for desirable reforms in migration governance and, thereby contribute achieving the goals and targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. The opportunity provided by the GCM in implementing international migration governance reforms is unprecedented and the CP Member States should utilize it to the full extent. We hope the meetings will be fruitful in advancing the CP objectives in the emerging global scenario. I look forward to welcoming the representatives of the CP Member States in Kathmandu. Mahesh Prasad Dahal Secretary Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, /media-centre/38-statements/entry/39-message-from-mr-mahesh-prasad-dahal-secretary-ministry-of-labour-employment-and-social-security-government-of-nepal

Summary Report On Colombo Process (CP) Coordination Meetings In Geneva

Meetings Related Documents

E-Library The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the draft Concept Note on the Sri Lankan Chairmanship circulated by the Sri Lanka Permanent Mission on 26 November 2013. The Ambassador introduced the Concept Paper on CP, which contains the priorities Sri Lanka recommended that the CP pursue during its Chairmanship for the next two years. /download?file=f92a5cf7ab04e7e9905a6cde8be844fb

Found in Members

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Cambodia

China

India

Indonesia

Nepal

Pakistan

Philippines

Sri Lanka

Thailand

Viet Nam

Found in Media Center

Colombo Process First Senior Officials' Meeting Concludes in Colombo

Statement by H. E. Ravinatha Aryasinha, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka and the Philippines discuss collaboration between the Colombo Process and Abu Dhabi Dialogue

Sri Lanka assumes leadership of the Colombo Process

Sri Lanka emphasizes commitment to address the issue of ‘ethical labour recruitment practices’ during its tenure as Colombo Process Chair

Initiatives for migrants under Sri Lanka’s leadership of the Colombo Process commended at Cairo Meeting

Nepal Assumes Colombo Process Leadership

Message of Mr G.S.Withanage, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Employment ,Sri Lanka

Colombo Process Member States identified concrete collaborative actions for advancing ethical recruitment

Colombo Process meeting concludes with far reaching decisions aimed at ensuring skilled and safe labour migration from Asia

Sri Lanka to address regional mismatches on supply and demand in foreign employment through Colombo Process

Colombo Process submitted a statement on Remittances to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Thematic Session 4 “Contributions of migrants” in New York

Sri Lanka joins in measures to protect migrant workers at the Abu Dhabi Dialogue

The Colombo Process reiterated their recommendations for the promotion of safe, orderly and regular labour mobility at the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Thematic Session 6 in Geneva

The 3rd Senior Officials’ Meeting Report

The 1st Meetings of Thematic Area Working Groups and the Regional Workshop on Labour Market Research

Presentation at the High-level Panel: Towards the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration

Second Senior Officials’ Meeting

Nepal, as the Chair of the Colombo Process, delivered a statement at the Global Compact for Migration Preparatory (stocktaking) Meeting

The 5th Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Geneva-based Colombo Process Representatives

The Member States reaffirmed their concerted efforts for safe, orderly and regular migration of workers through the adoption of the Colombo Ministerial Declaration

Hon. Minister Thalatha Atukorale says “Colombo Process will seek to be a bridge between labour sending and receiving countries in Asia”

Ambassadors of the Colombo Process Member States in Sri Lanka gather for the latest update on the progress and achievements of the Colombo Process under the Sri Lanka’s Chairmanship

Thematic Area Working Group on Skills and Qualification Recognition met for its Second Meeting via Bluejeans

Summary Report of the Fourth Senior Officials’ Meeting and the Fifth Ministerial Consultation of the Colombo Process

Senior Officials of the Colombo Process Member States gathered in Colombo to discuss ways to harmonize the regulatory frameworks for recruitment agencies

The 9th Ambassadorial-Level Meeting of the Geneva-based Colombo Process Representatives

Colombo Process Member States Consultation on Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)

Colombo Process convened the first joint Thematic Area Working Group meeting on Skills and Qualification Recognition and Labour Market Analysis

Colombo Process Member States agreed on Action Points to take forward collectively to advance Regulatory Harmonization of Recruitment Intermediaries

Colombo Process Member States gathered to discuss good practices as well as possible obstacles to migrant workers’ access to Complaints Mechanisms

Pakistan, as the Chair of Thematic Area Working Group on Remittances, took part in the panel discussion on Remittances as a lever for the SDGs at the Global Remittances Forum

Philippines hosted the Fourth Meeting of the Thematic Area Working Group on Pre-Departure Orientation and Empowerment in Manila

Colombo Process gathered to discuss Remittance issues and initiatives at the Fourth Meeting of Thematic Area Working Group on Remittances chaired by Pakistan

Message from Mr. Mahesh Prasad Dahal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Government of Nepal.

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Found in COLOMBO PROCESS MEETINGS

Colombo Consultation 2003

Manila Consultation 2004

Bali Consultation 2005

Dhaka Consultation 2011

Colombo Consultation 2016

Found in REGIONAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESS

Global Forum for Migration and Development

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Asia – European Union (EU) Dialogue On Labour Migration

Abu Dhabi Dialogue