Connect with us

News

PH calls for affirmation of migrant workers human rights in ASPAC meet

Published

on

FILE: The Philippines has called for the affirmation of human rights of migrants in its general statement in the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the Global Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration (GCM) in Bangkok, Thailand. (ShutterStock photo)

FILE: The Philippines has called for the affirmation of human rights of migrants in its general statement in the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the Global Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration (GCM) in Bangkok, Thailand. (ShutterStock photo)

MANILA — The Philippines has called for the affirmation of human rights of migrants in its general statement in the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the Global Compact on Safe, Regular and Orderly Migration (GCM) in Bangkok, Thailand.

In a unanimous election on Monday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola was selected chairperson for the three-day regional consultative meeting held in Nov. 6 to run until Nov. 8. Along with her is the Philippine delegation’s co-leader, Labor and Employment Undersecretary Bernard Olalia.

Speaking for the country, Olalia stressed the GCM should contain the “affirmation of the human rights of all migrants,” regardless of their immigration status. “Migrants should be empowered and seen as agents of development,” he said.

The Asia-Pacific RPM is one of the regional consultation meetings called for by the 2016 New York Declaration on large movement of migrants and refugees.

Its outcome would feed into the stocktaking meeting of the GCM process scheduled from Dec. 4 to 6 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The stocktaking meeting is expected to produce the first draft GCM, the DFA said.

Arriola said the Philippine inter-agency delegation is pursuing the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration “to maximize all avenues and forums where the rights, interests and welfare of overseas Filipino workers could be advanced.”

As chair of the regional meeting, Arriola also noted that Manila is committed to help mobilize and consolidate the inputs of the entire Asia-Pacific region for the GCM stock-taking meeting in Mexico.

The RPM is organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the development arm of the UN in the region, which accounts for 102 million international migrants.

According to UNESCAP, remittances of migrants in the region are estimated to reach USD276 billion this year. It said one fourth of the GDP of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Nepal are derived from remittances of their international migrants.

The Bangkok-based UNESCAP, established in 1947, made up of 53 Member States and nine associate members, is the largest UN body serving the Asia-Pacific.

Ambassador Evan Garcia, permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva said the election of Arriola is an “affirmation of the leadership of the Philippines on international migration governance in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Meanwhile, Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the official’s election as the meeting’s head, saying “this bodes well for our advocacy for the protection of the rights and promotion of the welfare of Filipino migrants.”

 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Maria in Vancouver

Lifestyle1 week ago

Nobody Wants This…IRL (In Real Life)

Just like everyone else who’s binged on Netflix series, “Nobody Wants This” — a romcom about a newly single rabbi...

Lifestyle2 weeks ago

Family Estrangement: Why It’s Okay

Family estrangement is the absence of a previously long-standing relationship between family members via emotional or physical distancing to the...

Lifestyle2 months ago

Becoming Your Best Version

By Matter Laurel-Zalko As a woman, I’m constantly evolving. I’m constantly changing towards my better version each year. Actually, I’m...

Lifestyle2 months ago

The True Power of Manifestation

I truly believe in the power of our imagination and that what we believe in our lives is an actual...

Maria in Vancouver3 months ago

DECORATE YOUR HOME 101

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Our home interiors are an insight into our brains and our hearts. It is our own collaboration...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Guide to Planning a Wedding in 2 Months

By Matte Laurel-Zalko Are you recently engaged and find yourself in a bit of a pickle because you and your...

Maria in Vancouver4 months ago

Staying Cool and Stylish this Summer

By Matte Laurel-Zalko I couldn’t agree more when the great late Ella Fitzgerald sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

Ageing Gratefully and Joyfully

My 56th trip around the sun is just around the corner! Whew. Wow. Admittedly, I used to be afraid of...

Maria in Vancouver5 months ago

My Love Affair With Pearls

On March 18, 2023, my article, The Power of Pearls was published. In that article, I wrote about the history...

Maria in Vancouver6 months ago

7 Creative Ways to Propose!

Sometime in April 2022, my significant other gave me a heads up: he will be proposing to me on May...