Philippines Highlights Migrant Health Equity at 1st Regional Consultation Series 

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola during the Regional Consultation Series with Global Compact for Migration (GCM) Champion Countries in Asia and the Pacific held virtually on 28 October 2021. (DFA-OUMWA photo)

PASAY CITY, 02 November 2021 – “Securing better and universal access to health services and social protection for our migrants through the Global Compact for Migration should be a priority of all,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola stressed during the Regional Consultation Series with Global Compact for Migration (GCM) Champion Countries in Asia and the Pacific held virtually on 28 October 2021.

Co-organized by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the theme for this consultation was “Accelerating Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This served as the first round in a series of consultations by GCM Champion countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand) in the Asia and the Pacific region, in partnership with Regional United Nations Network on Migration for Asia and the Pacific.

Undersecretary Arriola highlighted the critical role of governments in ensuring that migrants, regardless of status, have access to vaccination. She echoed the message of the UN Secretary General that, “no one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Joining in the first session of the consultation were former Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain and now DFA Assistant Secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Alfonso Ver, who shared the experiences of Filipino migrants in Bahrain during the COVID-19 pandemic and Head of DOH Migrants Health Unit Dr. Joel Buenaventura, who talked about the country's efforts and response on migrants' health particularly during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Millicent Cruz-Paredes delivered remarks on the government’s efforts to respond to the needs of Filipino migrants through the 5Rs (Relief, Repatriation, Recovery, Return, Reintegration). DFA Assistant Secretary Enrico Fos served as the overall moderator of the consultation.

Undersecretary Arriola applauded the initiative as it provides a platform  to identify key challenges, good practices, and develop possible common solutions as countries prepare for the first International Migration Review Forum in May 2022. END