The Philippines and India have agreed to step up collaboration on migrant labor governance by forming a joint technical working group (TWG), following a bilateral meeting between Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and India’s State Minister for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in New York City on Monday.
“The meeting highlighted opportunities for enhanced cooperation on labor migration governance, including pursuit of social protection, wage standards, financial education, reintegration, and welfare fund administration for migrant workers,” the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said in a social media post.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the International Migration Review Forum currently being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 5 to 8, saw the two leaders reaffirm their commitment to advancing policies that protect migrant workers, while strengthening global labor migration governance.
The forum aims to review progress at the local, national, regional, and global levels in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) within the United Nations framework, through a State-led approach involving relevant stakeholders.
The meeting would also set the direction for GCM implementation over the next five years.
Both the Philippines and India are among the top global labor-sending countries providing millions of workers for various sectors, including healthcare, construction, domestic work, and services, primarily to the Middle East, North America, and European countries.
Cacdac highlighted the importance of knowledge exchange between the Philippines and India, particularly in digital migration systems.
“We are keen to learn from India’s experience, particularly in digital migration governance, as much as we would like to share with them our own best practices in protecting Filipino migrant workers, which are anchored on our rights-based approach to migration,” he said.
To move discussions forward, Cacdac said both countries agreed to establish a joint TWG to identify priority areas of cooperation and lay the groundwork for a possible formal labor agreement. (PNA)
