Posts by MFA16_admin

The Asian Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Labour Migration met for the 7th consecutive year in Bangkok, Thailand on November 22-24th, 2013. The conference was organized by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Friedrich‐Ebert‐Stiftung (FES), Congressional Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs (COWA), and UN Women for the convening of the largest parliamentary conference since its inception in 2007. Fifty participants were brought together that...

It has been ten months since the enforced disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone, a human rights activist and “one of the most respected and influential voices for sustainable people-centered and just economic and social development in Laos.”  Mr. Somphone was last seen in Vientiane on the evening of 15 December 2012 when he was driving home in his jeep.  CCTV footage became two days after his disappearance showing Sombath...

The Asian Inter-Parliamentary Caucus has focused on social protection for the last few years, as this is a very important issue for migrant workers in Asia. Social security is based on national systems, often explicitly excluding non-nationals from coverage. In addition, many migrant workers (especially migrant women) are employed in the informal sector, which traditionally falls outside of social security system coverage. We would...

The 2nd UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development (2nd UNHLD) was held in New York City on 3-4 October 2013.  MFA was present at the first UNHLD held in 2006 in New York. In line with continuing the network’s engagement with the UNHLD, MFA organized a series of national and regional consultations focused using the framework of the CSO proposed 5 year action plan on 8 points. The outcome document from the consultations can be...