Outcome APA_D_2.1

Gender-responsive policy and legislative frameworks are developed and implemented to promote safe migration, decent work and sustainable development for all women workers, including migrant workers

In the context of ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19, this tends to have long-lasting effects on women migrant workers, especially related to increasing financial hardship and inability to provide essentials for their families whose lives depends on their remittances, and secure overseas employment due to tighter restrictions on migrants. In 2021 UN Women through its regional role, continued providing technical guidance to stakeholders, particularly in South and Southeast Asian sub-regions to implement their commitments to the international cooperation on migration. UN Women actively supported the organization of the 14th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML) with the efforts to ensure women migrant-specific needs and concerns were highlighted in the forum discussion and integrated in the Forum’s recommendations, which were adopted by ASEAN member states, CSOs and employment associations and trade unions. Further, UN Women in partnership with ILO and IOM actively assisted the organization of the meetings of the Colombo Process’s Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs) in reviewing their objectives in taking actions to promote safe migration, decent work and sustainable development for all migrant workers, especially women. Particularly, UN Women influenced the engagement of more diverse non-state actors, especially civil society organizations (CSOs) and trade unions. With increased participation of non-state actors, the dynamic of the TAWG meetings have changed. CSO and trade union actors were given more space to voice out specific concerns of women migrant workers in labour migration process, especially in the areas concerning on skills and qualification recognition; ethical recruitment; reintegration; and remittances to government representatives and other stakeholders and share lessons learned from their hands-on providing gender-responsive interventions. This increased awareness among the Member States of the TAWGs and enhanced more meaningful engagement between them and non-state actors at regional and national levels. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Regional United Nations Network on Migration for Asia and the Pacific, UN Women continued providing technical inputs and advices in planning and organizing the activities of the Network, including the Regional Review of Global Compact on Migration on 10-12 March 2021 and regional consultation meetings with stakeholders during July to September this year. As a result of UN Women’s advocacy effort, gender equality and women’s empowerment in migration policies and practices were highlighted to government and other stakeholders. Particularly, UN Women emphasized on the engagement of non-state stakeholders, especially CSOs, trade unions, local authorities, the private sector, and media in the consultation process organized by the Network. These have increased awareness and promoted the collaborations among stakeholders in line with the GCM’s Whole of Society approach leading to safe migration and sustainable development for women and men migrant workers.

Gender-responsive policy and legislative frameworks are developed and implemented to promote safe migration, decent work and sustainable development for all women workers, including migrant workers

Progress towards increasing legislation and support and services to ensure safety and security of women migrant workers throughout the labour migration journey were made as seen in the gender-specific recommendations in the ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML) and the Colombo Process’ Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) meetings. In the 15th AFML, a recommendation to include protection women migrant workers from forced labour, discrimination, violence and harassment in the development or review of bilateral labour migration agreements (BLA)/Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) was made and adopted by Member States and other stakeholders. For the Colombo Process, the Government of Bangladesh made a recommendation on building capacity on gender-responsive and rights-based in employment contracts leading to improved accountability of recruitment for labour migration in the meeting of the Thematic Area Working Group (TAWG) on foster ethical recruitment practices. These followed the efforts of UN Women and its CSO partners to integrate gender perspectives in labour migration governance.