The Philippines has reaffirmed its push for stronger protections for migrant workers at the International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) in New York, through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

At a media briefing on Thursday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the DMW participated in high-level discussions on global migration governance and on ongoing efforts to implement the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

“The purpose of the IMRF is a global review on the implementation of the Global Compact of Migration, and as you know, the DMW has as one of its core mandates the implementation of the GCM and its objectives,” he said.

Cacdac said the Philippines attended and actively contributed to multiple roundtable discussions and events leading to the formulation of the progress declaration.

Among the topics discussed were labor rights and protection of migrant workers, remittances and financial education, ethical recruitment and regular pathways to migration, consular cooperation and improving reintegration mechanisms for returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Cacdac said the Philippines co-chaired one of the IMRF roundtable discussions alongside Nigeria, underscoring the country’s active participation in shaping global policy on safe migration.

Bilateral talks

On the sidelines of the forum, Cacdac held bilateral meetings with officials from India and Lithuania, focusing on cooperation in labor migration governance and broader workforce mobility issues.

These engagements, he said, are part of continuing efforts to strengthen partnerships with both labor-sending and labor-receiving countries.

The DMW noted that both the Philippines and India are among the top global labor-sending countries providing millions of workers for various sectors, including healthcare, construction, domestic work and services, primarily to the Middle East, North America and European countries.

Abu Dhabi Dialogue chairmanship

During the meeting with India, Cacdac said preparations for the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) were also discussed, where the Philippines currently serves as chair.

The ADD, established in 2008, is a forum for dialogue and cooperation between Asian labor-sending countries and Gulf Cooperation Council states.

He said discussions with India, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also tackled upcoming priorities for the mechanism over the next two years.

Cacdac stressed that the ADD aligns with the GCM framework, particularly in promoting safe and orderly labor mobility, strengthening migrant worker protections and improving return and reintegration systems. (PNA)