News and events

Featured projects

• Extending social security for migrant workers in Africa

  The ILO Regional Office for Africa, in close collaboration with the ILO International Migration Programme and Social Security Department in Geneva, is implementing a major project on Extending social security coverage to African migrant workers (MIGSEC), with the financial support of the German government. The approach of the project will be to assist governments, in consultation with the social partners (workers and employers), to strengthen national and regional strategies for the extension of social security coverage to African migrant workers and their families.

• ILO/Spain cooperation for better migration policies

  ILO Regional Office for Africa, in close collaboration with the ILO International Migration Programme in Geneva, is implementing a project on « Improving institutional capacity to govern labour migration in North and West Africa » (in French), with the financial support of the Spanish government. The project seeks the realization and maximization of benefits from international labour migration for the development of both countries of origin and destination by undertaking actions focused on promoting good governance and effective management of labour migration, based on ILO's Multilateral Framework on Labour Migration.

  The ILO project "Technical assistance to better manage migratory flows from Senegal, Mauritania and Mali to Spain", launched in 2006, designed to support efforts to maximise social and economic benefits of migration for the region of the Sahel, for Spain, and for migrant workers, in line with the principles of equality and non discrimination, has been extended until end of 2012.

  Strengthening institutions on migration to contribute to the development of Andean countries. In January 2008, the ILO launched a two year project focusing on migratory flows from Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and the Andean Community towards Spain. The project aims at establishing an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism on labour migration in each country and it will contribute improving labour migration governance and regulation of migration policies through a better information.

• Technical cooperation in Europe

  Complementary to the partnership project mentioned above, a new project Regulating labour migration as an instrument of development and regional cooperation will initiate operations in Central Asia in March 2008. This project focuses on policy frameworks, strategies and mechanisms for regulating labour migration as an instrument for development and cooperation in and among Central Asia countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. It will strengthen institutional structures on labour migration, build capacity of social partners to participate in labour migration policy and administration, and strengthen international dialogue and cooperative mechanisms for regulating labour migration among the Central Asian countries.

Publications

• The global economic crisis and migrant workers: Impact and response - (pdf 651 KB)
  Ibrahim Awad
  Second edition, ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-122933-9 (print), 978-92-2-122934-6 (web), Geneva, 2009
  This research paper, prepared by the ILO International Migration Programme, assesses the impact of the global crisis on migrant workers and reviews policy responses. It addresses the impact on the employment of migrant workers in their countries of destination, on the volume of their financial contributions to the livelihood of their families and to the economies of their countries of origin and on their living and working conditions, which may deteriorate due to an increase in hostility and xenophobia.
• Sri Lanka launches National Labour Migration Policy
  The ILO International Migration Programme, Geneva, and the ILO Office for Sri Lanka, Colombo, provided technical support to the tripartite plus consultative process for the formulation of the National Labour Migration Policy for Sri Lanka. The Policy was officially launched by the Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare on 24 February 2009, and approved by the Sri Lanka Cabinet on 30 April 2009.
• Diasporas and Development: Perspectives on Definitions and Contributions - (pdf 212 KB)
  Piyasiri Wickramasekara
  ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-122632-1 (print), 978-92-2-122633-8 (web), Geneva, 2009
  The paper published in the ILO Perspectives on Migration series, addresses a theme popular in recent literature on migration and development – the role of transnational communities or diasporas as contributors to the development of their countries of origin. It first looks at definitional issues followed by a review of information on estimates of the diaspora and their profiles. The author then discusses the nature of diverse contributions of the diaspora and highlights areas for further research.
• Protecting the rights of migrant workers: A shared responsibility - (pdf 161 KB) • French (pdf 189 KB)
  ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-122171-5, 2009
  What is the connection between protection of migrant rights and development? How are countries singly or jointly protecting the rights of migrants? The ILO paper "Protecting the rights of migrant workers: A shared responsibility" seeks to address these questions and related issues. It was initially prepared as an ILO contribution to the Second Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which took place in Manila from 27 to 30 October 2008. The ILO hopes the paper will serve as a useful tool to governments, employers' and workers' organizations and all other stakeholders who are keen to improve protection of their workers abroad as well as migrant workers in their countries.
  
• International Migration Papers:
  

  IMP 109	Remittance transfers in Senegal: Preliminary findings, lessons and recommendations on its marketplace and financial access opportunities - (pdf 244 KB) Manuel Orozco and Elisabeth Burgess with Corinne Massardier ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-124147-8 (print), 978-92-2-124148-5 (web)
  IMP 109F	Tranferts des migrants au Sénégal: résultats préliminaires, leçons et recommendations quant à l'organisation du marché et aux opportunités d'accès au marché financier - (pdf 255 KB) Manuel Orozco et Elisabeth Burgess avec la collaboration de Corinne Massardier ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-224147-7 (print), 978-92-2-224148-4 (web)
  IMP 108	Labour migration in South Asia: A review of issues, policies and practices - (pdf 224 KB) Piyasiri Wickramasekara ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-123374-9 (print), 978-92-2-123375-6 (web)
  IMP 107	International migration and employment in the post-reforms economy of Sri Lanka - (pdf 305 KB) Piyasiri Wickramasekara ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-123372-5 (print), 978-92-2-123373-2 (web)
  IMP 106	Labour migration for decent work, economic growth and development in Egypt - (pdf 305 KB) Ahmed Farouk Ghoneim ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-123350-3 (print), 978-92-2-123351-0 (web)
  IMP 105F	L´émigration libanaise et son impact sur l´économie et le développement - (pdf 664 KB) Marwan Abi Samra ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-223316-8 (print), 978-92-2-223317-5 (web)
  IMP 104F	Migration pour le travail décent, la croissance économique et le développement: le cas de l´Algérie - (pdf 630 KB) Rafik Bouklia-Hassane ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-2-223314-4 (print), 978-92-2-223315-1 (web)
  IMP 103F	Les nouveaux défis de la question migratoire au Maroc - (pdf 1,02 MB) Mohamed Khachani avec la collaboration de Mohamed Bensaïd ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-223310-6 (print), 978-92-2-223311-3 (web)
  IMP 102	Migration pour le travail décent, la croissance économique et le développement: le cas de la Tunisie - (pdf 498 KB) Hassen Boubakri ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-223308-3 (print), 978-92-2-223309-0 (web)
  IMP 100	Strengthening social protection for African migrant workers through social security agreements - (pdf 498 KB) Warren McGillivray ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-123205-6 (print), 978-92-2-123206-3 (web)
  IMP 99	Policies and practices of highly skilled migration in times of the economic crisis - (pdf 321 KB) Lucie Cerna ILO, ISBN 978-92-2-122850-9 (print), 978-92-2-122851-6 (web)