KUALA LUMPUR - The Philippines and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation on migrant labour governance by setting up a joint technical working group (TWG).
The agreement followed a meeting between Department Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary, Hans Leo Cacdac and India’s State Minister for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh in New York on May 4.
“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 DMW said in a social media post.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Migration Review Forum held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from May 5 to 8.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to improving policies that protect migrant workers while strengthening global labour migration governance.
The forum reviews progress in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) at national, regional and global levels through a state-led approach involving different stakeholders.
The discussions will also help shape the direction of GCM implementation for the next five years.
The Philippines and India are among the world’s leading labour-sending countries, supplying millions of workers to sectors such as healthcare, construction, domestic work and services, mainly in the Middle East, North America and Europe.
Cacdac highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge between both countries, especially 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.
Cacdac said both countries agreed to establish the joint TWG to identify key areas for cooperation and support discussions on a possible formal labour agreement.
