PH Supports Global Migration Governance at the Colombo Process Consultation  

KATHMANDU 10 December 2018 – The Philippines shared its experience on global migration governance during the panel discussion on “Colombo Process engagement at international, regional and bilateral levels for safe, regular and managed migration: a win-win for all,” at the sixth Ministerial Consultation on Overseas Employment and Contractual Labour for Countries of Origin in Asia, better known as the Colombo Process, hosted by the Nepal Government in Kathmandu on 15-16 November 2018.

The Philippine candidate for the position of Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Evan P. Garcia served as one of the panellists, with IOM Director for Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) Michele Klein Solomon and former advisor to the Foreign Minister and Ambassador of Nepal to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ambassador Uday Raj Pandey.

Ambassador Garcia shared his views on the importance of cooperation and collaboration within the Colombo Process Member Countries and with other Regional Consultative Processes (RCPs), as dialogue partners in pushing the migration agenda forward.

“Our world seems to be fracturing across several fault lines,” said Ambassador Garcia. “Hyper-nationalism, xenophobia, hostility to migrants and refugees, deepening economic uncertainty, and geopolitical rivalries are all contributing factors. Under these circumstances, RCP’s along with other migration stakeholders, should contribute to re-building the trust that seems to have been lost. Building on mutual trust already established among them, they can continue shaping the global dialogue, sharing best practices, having policy exchanges and implementing projects and programs.”

“The Philippines has been privileged to be a member of several important inter-state consultation mechanisms on migration, including RCPs like the Colombo Process, and inter-regional fora like the ASEAN, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, the Asia-EU Dialogue on Migration and the ACP-EU Dialogue on Migration,” he added.

These mechanisms offer an informal and non-binding environment for member states, observers and concerned stakeholders to engage in dialogue, and to cooperate on different aspects of migration.

The Philippine delegation to the Colombo Process Summit was composed of officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment, led by OWWA Fund and Investment Management Office Director Vivian F. Tornea.

The Philippines was one of the 10 countries of origin that joined in 2003 to establish the Colombo Process, a Regional Consultative Process on the management of overseas employment and contractual labor for countries of origins in Asia. It is a state-driven, non-binding and informal forum to facilitate dialogue and cooperation on issues of common interest and concern relating to labor mobility.

Given its key focus on labor migration, the Colombo Process has paved the way for countries of origin to deepen their understanding of the complexities of labor migration, strengthen their capacity in policy-making and engage in collective bargaining to advance their national and common interests. END

For more information, visit www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGenevaUN/.