Philippines, EU Discuss Protection of OFWs in Crisis-Hit Countries
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and European Union discussed ways to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in crisis-stricken countries.
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) organized a regional consultation on Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) for South, South-East and East Asian countries.
The two-day regional consultation, which ended on Tuesday, allowed Asian governments to exchange views on the global initiative and on existing best practices for assisting migrants in crisis situations.
“We know that many countries, notably the Philippines but also others in Asia, already have good systems in place to protect their nationals abroad, and we want to learn from these experiences,” Ambassador Guy Ledoux of the EU Delegation to the Philippines said.
The meeting was organised in collaboration with the United States State Department and the European Commission, with funding from the EU’s Global Public Goods and Challenges programme.
When conflict or disasters hit, international migrants present in the crisis-stricken country are often among the affected population. For a variety of factors, migrants can be especially vulnerable during crises. In some cases, migrants may be trapped, unable to leave the crisis area, in others they may be unwilling to leave or unable to access humanitarian assistance, while in others they may seek refuge across borders in adjacent countries. For example, the civil war in Libya in 2011 saw thousands of migrants from Asian countries in need of humanitarian aid and repatriation assistance.
In order to improve responses to the impact of acute crises on migrants, the US and the Philippines launched a global initiative in 2014 on Migrants in Countries in Crisis, in collaboration with the European Commission, Australia, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ethiopia.
Aside from the CFO, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Foreign Affairs represent the Philippine government in the MICIC initiative.
According to Imelda Nicolas, Secretary of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, the mantra of the initiative is “to save lives, increase protection, decrease vulnerabilities and improve responses.”
The meeting was attended by over 100 persons, including government officials of 16 countries, as well as representatives of international organisations, civil society, and the private sector.