At the 92nd session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), which was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 1-17 June, migrant workers and their advocates addressed the tripartite Committee on Migrant Workers, the committee of the Conference that is tasked to lead the general discussion on migrant workers, which is item 6 of the Conference agenda.
This year’s ILC, an annual tri-partite event, is significant for the migrant sector because for the first time, the ILC had the general discussion on migrant workers’ issues and concerns. The debate covered three main themes, namely: international labour migration in the era of globalization, policies and structures for more orderly migration for employment, and, improving migrant workers’ protection. A Plan of Action was adopted, which engaged the ILO and all its constituents in the development of a coherent multilateral framework for the governance of international migration.
“The basic starting point for the discussion on the rights of migrant workers must rest on the universal principle of human rights of all human beings, who are equal in dignity and rights,” says Genevieve Gencianos of Migrants Rights International (MRI) in her statement to the Committee. She also made important calls and recommendations on various labour migration concerns, such as on irregular migration, discrimination, feminization and the gender dimension of migration, development, reintegration, and the adherence to universally accepted norms and standards of protection. Gencianos was speaking on behalf of the 19-member migrant delegation, the first of such to participate in the ILC. The delegation was accredited under two groups -- the Migrants Rights International (MRI) and the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA). MRI is a Geneva-based civil society international monitoring body that focuses on the human rights of migrants. MFA on the other hand, is a network of over 200 migrant worker associations and NGOs in some 20 Asian countries.
The full statement of the migrant delegation can be downloaded here (pdf format), as well as the contact details.
Organizations represented in the MRI-MFA delegation include the following : Asian Migrant Centre (AMC), Commission for Filipino Migrant Workers (CFMW), Collectif de soutien aux San-Papiers de Geneve, Geneva Forum for Philippine Concerns, Kapatiran para sa Karapatan at Kaunlaran ng mga Manggagawang Pilipino sa Ibayong Dagat (Association Kakkampi), Welfare Association of Repatriated Bangladeshi Employees (WARBE), Friends of Women Workers in Jordan, Center for Migrant Advocacy Philippines (CMA-Phils), Centre for Education and Communication in India, Indonesian Migrant Workers Union (IMWU) in Hong Kong, MFA, and MRI.
