BANGKOK (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) has welcomed the adoption by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of a declaration on the protection of migrant workers and family members in crisis situations at the 42nd ASEAN Summit on 10 May 2023 in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

“The adoption by the ASEAN Member States of this declaration marks an important step towards strengthening the protection for, and reducing the vulnerability of, migrant workers in the region and their families,” said Nilim Baruah, ILO’s Senior Specialist in Labour Migration, based at ILO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme which is funded by Australia and Canada, supported development of Declaration. In March 2023, consultative workshops were organized with government, social partners and civil society representatives from ASEAN countries in Bali, Indonesia to strengthen the draft declaration through social dialogue.

The ASEAN Declaration on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Family Members in Crisis Situations calls for inclusion of migrant workers and their families into crisis preparedness, response and recovery frameworks in ASEAN and facilitates their timely access to sustained safety, health care, psychosocial support, social protection, livelihood support, and return and reintegration support. Importantly, the Declaration acknowledges the need to provide humanitarian assistance to all migrants and their family members irrespective of their legal status.

TRIANGLE in ASEAN is also providing technical support to the development of implementing guidelines for the declaration. These are scheduled for adoption in late 2023.