International Migrants Day: reinventing human mobility

In these extraordinary times of a global health pandemic, we are reminded how interconnected the world has become: our health, our food, and our economies depend on the safe, orderly, and regular movement of people. And migrants, especially Filipino Overseas Workers (OFW), have been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.

While countries were locked in due to the pandemic, migrant workers continued to care for the sick and elderly, and kept essential goods and services moving. Sadly, many OFWs made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the fight against COVID-19.

At the same time, self-employed domestic workers who continue to face the pandemic face economic and social difficulties caused by the health crisis. Many of them have been fired. Those who have kept their jobs as front-line workers endure psychological and emotional stresses.

As we celebrate International Migrants Day today, the United Nations (UN) in the Philippines wishes to honor OFWs and all migrants for their invaluable contributions in the fight against COVID-19. The UN strongly advocates for a more inclusive response to the pandemic that does not leave migrants behind, particularly as countries around the world begin mass vaccination programs.

The Philippines has shown great leadership in protecting foreign domestic workers, especially during these difficult times. The UN Migration Agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), appreciates the impressive actions of the Philippine government, as they have led by example and successfully repatriated more than 700,000 Filipinos, more than 300,000 of whom have been independent foreign workers in this crisis.

The Philippines was a leader in the adoption of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and, two years later, the Philippines continues to lead the implementation of this historic compact. This was recognized recently when the Philippines accepted the invitation of the Director General of IOM, Antonio Vitorino, to be a “GCM Global Champion”, one of the 15 countries in the world to have that designation.

The pandemic has had massive disruptive effects on labor migration in the Philippines, where the normal flow of extraterritorial workers from work came to a virtual halt. Against this backdrop of declines in deployment and massive repatriations, we are faced with uncertainty of how to navigate foreign labor markets as some countries begin to reopen and others experience subsequent waves of COVID-19.

A wide range of factors will affect the characteristics and scale of migration in the future. Today, the number of international migrants is estimated to be nearly 272 million worldwide, or 3.5 percent of the world’s population, and nearly two-thirds of them are labor migrants.

This estimated number and proportion of international migrants already exceeds some projections made for the year 2050, which were of the order of 2.6 percent or 230 million.

The decisions we make in the face of the unparalleled challenge of global mobility and people on the move will affect the global social and economic landscape for years to come.

Adopted two years ago by more than 150 states, including the Philippines, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) presents an opportunity to reinvent human mobility for the benefit of all. The GCM is an effective tool for States, the United Nations and civil society to discuss the best way to address the challenges to human mobility posed by crises such as COVID-19 without compromising the human rights of individuals and the sovereignty of individuals. state. The actions we take today to support migrants will ensure that we are in a better position to respond to the challenges of tomorrow.

Recently, the Government and the UN jointly launched the Bridging Recruitment to Reintegration Migration Governance (BRIDGE) program, which will work to safeguard the rights and well-being of Filipino migrants throughout the migration cycle.

Implemented by the IOM, ILO, UN Women, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment, the BRIDGE program will support the government in promoting fair and ethical recruitment, and in ensuring that returning OFWs can be successfully reintegrated. Through a focus that puts women at the center, it addresses the challenges of women in particular and is inclusive of all groups, including the OFW community and civil society organizations.

The global recovery from the pandemic provides an opportunity to reinvent human mobility and build more inclusive and resilient societies, where well-managed migration, shaped through a whole-of-society approach, harnesses the experience and momentum of migrants to reactivate national and foreign economies.

Gustavo González is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Philippines. Kristin Dadey is the Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration in the Philippines.