Philippines Holds Successful Dialogue on Migrant Workers’ Rights Protection with UN Committee in Geneva
Secretary Maria Susana V. Ople, Head of Delegation to the Constructive Dialogue with the UN Committee on Migrant Workers, delivers her Opening Statement on the first day of the dialogue held on 30 March 2022. (Geneva PM photo)
GENEVA 01 April 2023 – The Philippines successfully concluded today the Constructive Dialogue with the UN Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) on its Third Periodic Report on the implementation of the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families held in Geneva from 30-31 March 2023.
The Philippine Delegation was headed by Hon. Maria Susana V. Ople, Secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers, and co-headed by H.E. Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, and Undersecretary Severo S. Catura, Executive Director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat.
The Philippine Delegation presented recent developments in migrant rights protection since the last review held in 2014, particularly the establishment of the Department of Migrant Workers in 2022. Sec. Ople highlighted that the government pursues a rights-based approach to labor migration and migration governance noting that the Philippines is the only country in the world that adopted the 23 objectives of the UN Global Compact on Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM). The Philippines has developed the National Action Plan on Fair and Ethical Recruitment and National Action Plan on Gender-Responsive Return and Reintegration of OFWs.
The fourteen-member CMW, chaired by Mr. Edgar Corzo Sosa from Mexico, asked questions and offered observations on various issues, including the root causes of labor migration, feminization of migration, social cost of migration on families, especially children, reintegration of migrant workers, assistance-to-nationals policies, birth registration and statelessness, combatting human trafficking and oversight of recruitment agencies as well as policies on foreign workers in the Philippines.
Secretary Ople stated that the Philippines follows a whole-of-government approach to labor migration governance, with the participation of various agencies, including the Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as civil society organizations.
The CMW acknowledged the significant progress made by the Philippines in enhancing protective measures and mechanisms to uphold the rights and welfare of migrant workers and for the open and very constructive dialogue. It likewise commended the Philippines for ensuring gender balance in the composition of the delegation and for the participation of young government officials in the dialogue.
“This constructive dialogue comes in the heels of a series of high-level Philippine engagement with UN human rights mechanisms. In this dialogue, we demonstrated that the Philippines has a full-cycle comprehensive national migration management system. We have best practices that we can share with other countries and we are helping establish a rules-based multilateral migration governance that puts primacy on upholding the rights and dignity of migrant workers irrespective of status,” Ambassador Garcia stated at the conclusion of the dialogue.
The Philippine Delegation was composed of officials from the Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Health, Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat, and Philippine Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva. The Constructive Dialogue was held for 2 half-days from 30 to 31 March 2023.
The Philippines signed and ratified the Convention on 15 November 1993 and 05 July 1995 respectively. Article 73 of the Convention provides that States parties to the Convention undertake to submit a report to the Secretary-General every five (5) years, for consideration by the Committee. The Constructive Dialogue on the Philippines’ 2nd Periodic Report was held on 3 to 4 April 2014. END
The Philippines delegation poses with the member of the Committee on Migrant Workers at the end of the Constructive Dialogue on 31 March 2022. (Geneva PM photo)
For more information, visit https://www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinGeneva/ or https://www.instagram.com/phingeneva/.