Mekong Institute (MI) gathered 24 officials representing the ministries of labour, immigration, commerce, as well as private recruitment agencies and trade unions from Cambodia, People’s Republic of China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to share good practices and develop recommendations for stronger regional migration governance.
The learning program, which ran from November 4 to 10, 2019, covered a workshop in Centara Hotel, Mae Sot, Thailand and several study visits in Mae Sot, Thailand and Myawaddy, Myanmar.
These activities were the first component of the Strategic Management to Labour Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Addressing the Challenges through Good Practices capacity development program.
Funded by the Thailand International Cooperation Agency, the five-month program aims to strengthen the facilitation of safe and beneficial labour mobility across the Greater Mekong Subregion.
As such, the one-week learning program focused on widening common understanding of prevailing labour movement issues for participants to develop strategies that will enhance pre- and post-departure orientation programs and return and reintegration services, as well as explore possibilities of developing zero-cost migration policies in their respective countries.
In addition to the didactic session, which involved mapping labor migration needs and opportunities, participants also visited government border offices, a non-government organization and labor-intensive factories in the Thailand-Myanmar border areas to gain firsthand perspective of migration governance operations.
After the learning program, participants will implement action plans to strengthen labour mobility and management in their countries. Three months after implementation of their respective action plans, participants will congregate in Khon Kaen, Thailand to share their experiences.
The Strategic Management to Labour Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Addressing the Challenges through Good Practices is one of MI’s numerous capacity-building investments that is designed to deepen integration and cooperation among member countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion.
