THE United Nations on Wednesday hailed the Philippines as a champion of migrants’ welfare and safety amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
In presenting the tribute, UN Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez cited the Philippines’ key role in the adoption of the UN Global Compact for Migration (GCM) in December 2018.
“Through the GCM, we set a moral standard for the world in upholding the rights and dignity of every migrant,” Gonzalez said.
Kristin Dadey, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Philippines chief of mission, agreed with Gonzalez.
“The Philippines continues to be a global champion when it comes to migration governance and we stand with them,” she said.
In his speech accepting the tribute, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said migration governance policies “remain a work in progress in the Philippines; even though, across four decades, we put up the governmental institutions to manage international migration flows.”
“This paved the path for us to become a sort of model country of origin. I wouldn’t say a perfect model. But we’re better than a lot of others. So, I am proud that we have become a champion country of the Global Compact,” Locsin said.
Gonzalez and Locsin jointly launched the Bridge program that aims to safeguard the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Locsin said he expects 80,000 more Filipinos to come home before the end of this year.
The Bridge program promotes fair and ethical recruitment of OFWs. It was designed to help the Philippine government secure jobs for OFWs displaced by the pandemic.
Funded by the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), the program provides several governments funding for projects for the welfare of their migrant workers.
The UN said the Philippines’ Bridge program is one of only six projects that had been selected among 76 proposals submitted by 56 countries in 2020, the MPTF’s inaugural year.
The governments of Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom provide support to the Bridge program.
According to the Philippines National Migration Survey and the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, forced labor remains to be a challenge for migrant workers.
Gonzalez described migration governance as “one of the most urgent and profound tests of international cooperation in our time.”
But he acknowledged the Philippine government’s admission that it needs to reinforce its implementation of the GCM, particularly the provisions on ensuring fair and ethical recruitment and the safe and dignified return of migrant workers and their reintegration into the Philippine labor sector.
Locsin lauded the efforts of the UN Country Team in the Philippines, particularly the IOM, International Labor Organization and UN Women for the endeavor.
The GCM, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018, laid out 23 objectives to open legal migration and better manage the influx of migrants.