ASEAN states to sign accord on migrant workers

Workers rush to finish ASEAN logos that will adorn the Cultural Center complex, where the leaders of the regional organization will be meeting this month. (Ali Vicoy / MANILA BULLETIN)

.

.

Member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to sign a consensus which promotes and protects the rights of migrant workers during the 31st Summit of the 50-year-old regional bloc in Manila and Clark, Pampanga next week.

According to Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan, the signing will be one of the highlights of ASEAN’s 31st Summit.

“One important agreement ay magkakaroon tayo ng kasunduan o (we will have is that we will have an agreement or) consensus on the right of migrant workers,” Ablan said in an interview over state-run PTV-4 Thursday morning.

According to Ablan, the agreement is important as this will protect and promote the rights of all migrant workers in the region.

“This is a big step. Kung meron tayong mga domestic helpers, professionals na pupunta ng Malaysia, pupunta ng Indonesia in the same way na may mga pumunta dito (If we have domestic helpers, professionals who want to go to work outside their home countries), their rights as migrant workers will be protected,” Ablan explained.

These rights include the migrant workers’ healthcare, protection and security, among others, according to Ablan.

The ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers was first endorsed by the Ministers of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council in Tagaytay last September.

In the ASEAN website, the ASEAN Consensus is said to have – regional cooperation to greater heights in building a people-centred, people-oriented community, since the signing of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in 2007.

“The many years of tireless negotiations have brought to fore many issues surrounding labor migration and enabled member states to better understand one another and work out solutions towards better protection and promotion of rights of our migrant workers,” Deputy Secretary-General for ASCC Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee said.

Meanwhile, ASEAN leaders are also set to adopt the ASEAN Declaration on ‘Culture of Prevention’ for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society at the Summit next week.

The “Culture of Prevention” is a new initiative pioneered by the ASCC which catalyses the transformation of mindsets in addressing root causes of cross-cutting problems from “business as usual” approach into innovative, pro-active and responsive mode.

<>

NOTE : All photographs, news, editorials, opinions, information, data, others have been taken from the Internet ..aseanews.net | [email protected] |

For comments, Email to :
Aseanews.Net | [email protected]  | Contributor

It's only fair to share...