PHL, EU discuss protection of OFWs in crisis-stricken countries

Representatives from the European Union and other countries including the Philippines met for a two-day regional consulation on ways to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in crisis-stricken countries.

The consultation, organized by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas and held March 23 to 24, "provided an opportunity for governments of Asian countries to exchange views on the global initiative and on existing best practices for assisting migrants in crisis situations," the EU said in a statement.

The meeting was part of the "Migrants in Countries in Crisis" (MICIC) initiative for South, South-East and East Asian countries.

CFO chief Secretary Imelda Nicolas said the MICIC initiative was launched to “to save lives, increase protection, decrease vulnerabilities and improve responses” during crisis situations.

It was tackled during the meeting that Filipinos, while protected by robust laws, remain unwilling or unable to access humanitarian assistance in certain crisis situations such as Libya due to delayed response by aid-giving bodies.

During the event, the Philippines and other labor-sending countries shared experiences and discussed ways to improve response times by governments and international organizations to migrant needs.

"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," said Ambassador Guy Ledoux of the EU Delegation to the Philippines.

The EU  said the initiative is working to develop “a set of non-binding voluntary guidelines and best practices that will be used by governments, international organizations, civil society and private sector actors.”

Over 100 people attended the event, among them government officials of 16 countries, as well as representatives of international organizations, civil society, and the private sector. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

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