ASEAN leaders adopt declaration to ensure fair, ethical recruitment of migrant workers

Detailed summary

New regional framework seeks to strengthen accountability and address emerging vulnerabilities in labour migration, safeguarding millions of workers across Southeast Asia.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday adopted a declaration on "fair and ethical" recruitment of migrant workers, local media reported.

The declaration, adopted on the opening day of the 49th ASEAN Leaders' Summit in the Philippine capital of Manila, establishes stronger regional accountability and targets emerging vulnerabilities in labor migration, Manila Times reported.

Announcing the adoption, Philippine Secretary of Migrant Workers Hans Leo Cacdac said the document expands existing regional labour instruments to better safeguard an estimated 600,000 overseas Filipino workers across Southeast Asia, as well as fellow ASEAN migrant workers.

"OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) can remain confident that the Philippines, under the chairship of the Philippines and the leadership of the President, will continue to translate these regional commitments into responsive policies and programmes," Cacdac said.

ASEAN is holding its 49th summit and related meetings in Manila as the Philippines is set to hand over the chair to Singapore on Tuesday, at the end of the three-day summit.

The bloc is scheduled to hold separate summits with China, Japan, Australia, India, South Korea and the US during the three-day gathering.

The bloc was founded in 1967, with Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste as its 11 members.

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