PM Justin Trudeau Announces Support for ASEAN Migrant Workers
21 September 2016 13:20 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, September 19 during his visit to New York to attend the United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants, a $5.5 million project to protect migrant workers in the ASEAN region.
The press release received by Tempo on Tuesday, said that Canada will work in partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to support ASEAN’s regional efforts aimed at strengthening policies that defend migrant workers, particularly women. The project will also ensure migrant workers receive equitable economic and social benefits, and help improve job mobility across ASEAN.
Expected results include a harmonized labour migration governance framework in the ASEAN region that maximizes protection of migrant workers, particularly women migrants, and their contributions to equitable and inclusive growth in the region.
ASEAN is a dynamic region with 633 million residents and 300 million workers, and a combined GDP of over US$ 2.4 trillion. In 2013, there were an estimated 6.5 million ASEAN nationals who migrated to other ASEAN countries for work, and women accounted for 47.8 percent of all migrants.
For more than 10 years, Canada has played a leading role in promoting and protecting the human rights of women in ASEAN by supporting regional human rights bodies, women’s participation in civil society and the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The ILO has the global mandate and responsibility to set international standards on labor and employment and has been mandated by the United Nations to protect the rights of all workers, including labour migrants.
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