Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth - 8.8 on labor rights for migrant workers

The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) has been reaching out to trade unions in destination countries to ensure the protection of Nepalese migrant workers. They have moreover signed agreements and MoUs with trade unions in Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and the Republic of Korea to enhance Nepalese workers' rights in these countries.

The group "Migrants CSC" informs and raises awareness among migrant workers (documented or undocumented) about their rights, the labour legislation in force in Belgium and the fight against all forms of exploitation and discrimination.

The service also responds to individual requests on issues such as work permits, extending residence permits, diploma equivalence, and validation of skills. 

In a nutshell:

The Arab Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) provides information and assistance, capacity building and services to support migrant workers in the region access decent work conditions, working hours, healthcare, justice, equal pay and gender equality. 

The MRC in 2018 launched a project aimed at supporting and empowering a total of 230,000 migrant workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Indonesia based in Jordan. 

The African Trade Union Migration Network (ATUMNET) was formally formed and launched in August, 2016 after a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, under the auspices of the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa). 

The National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO), an agency of the Philippines' Department of Labor and Employment was institutionalized pursuant to Republic Act 10022 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations. 

This programme aims to understand the impact of enhanced skills recognition on migrant productivity, wage gains, and job satisfaction, with a view to eventually introducing a harmonised skills ecosystem in the GCC – Asia labour migration corridors.

This programme between the governments of India and the United Arab Emirates links the electronic emigration and immigration systems of the two respective governments, with the objective of reducing contract substitution and improving government oversight over recruitment practices. The process for implementation has been made available to other ADD Member States for replication, as well as to the wider GFMD community through the Platform for Partnerships.

The Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme (CIOP) implemented currently in the context of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) helps operationalize a coordinated management system for the provision of tailored pre-employment, pre-departure and postarrival orientation (PEO, PDO and PAO) services for temporary contractual workers (TCWs) in the GCC states. With technical support from IOM, the governments work towards developing a CIOP regional guide and a corresponding management system, which will then be tailored to operations in the specific country contexts of ADD Member States.

Together with the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration, ICMPD (under the MIEUX initiative) deployed this social marketing tool in attempting to influence the behaviour of different segments of the population (young people, students, women, would-be migrants, etc.) in relation to a campaign on trafficking and illegal recruitment. Social marketing campaigns are designed to influence the target group’s actions and adopt a new behaviour or change a current behaviour which affects the target group in a negative way.