16 October 2024
https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/ilo-welcomes-asean-steps-support-mi...
Bangkok (ILO NEWS) - Steps taken by leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen support for migrant workers and prevent child labour have been welcomed by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Meeting at the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic from 6-11 October 2024, ASEAN leaders adopted the Vientiane Declaration on Skills Mobility, Recognition and Development for Migrants, and its Checklist and the ASEAN Declaration on Prevention of Child Labour Including Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. They also agreed on the ASEAN Guidelines on Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers and the ASEAN Guidelines on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers. Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, ILO Director for Asia and the Pacific hailed the agreements. "The adoption of these important Declarations and Guidelines by ASEAN leaders marks a significant step toward ensuring rights and protections across the region for migrant workers and children. “ILO is proud to have supported the development of these important instruments and will continue to work with ASEAN members and the ASEAN Secretariat to help ensure their effective implementation,” she said. The ILO has supported the development of the various Declarations and Guidelines in close coordination with the lead countries and the ASEAN Secretariat, and through its TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme, funded by Australia and Canada; the Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia programme, funded by the European Union; and the ILO-Korea skills programme. Support to the Declaration on Skills Mobility, Recognition and Development for Migrant Workers and the Guidelines on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers was provided in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
