ILO welcomes the ASEAN Declaration on Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers
The issuance of the ASEAN Declaration on Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers is in line with ILO’s work in Indonesia to strengthen and support the realization of decent working conditions for Indonesian fishers within the country and abroad.
The ILO through its Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia (Ship to Shore Rights SEA) programme has been providing technical support to the Government of Indonesia on the development of the ASEAN Declaration since November 2022. Prior to the Declaration, the Ship to Shore Rights SEA supported the Ministry of Manpower to conduct a consultation workshop in March, where about 90 representatives from the ministries of manpower and fisheries as well as other relevant government departments, ASEAN bodies and stakeholders from ASEAN member States convened to discuss the protection of migrant fishers throughout the migration cycle.
The ILO congratulates the ASEAN under the Indonesian leadership for the issuance of this important Declaration. This is the first ASEAN instrument and a great step to encourage the inclusion of the protection of migrant fishers in the policies and work mechanism of ASEAN. As this Declaration has been developed with Indonesia’s initiative and leadership, ILO hopes that this declaration will also illuminate the path towards the same objective in Indonesia."
Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia
“Fishing is a major economic sector for Indonesia, and also for some ASEAN countries. The ILO congratulates the ASEAN under the Indonesian leadership for the issuance of this important Declaration. This is the first ASEAN instrument and a great step to encourage the inclusion of the protection of migrant fishers in the policies and work mechanism of ASEAN. As this Declaration has been developed with Indonesia’s initiative and leadership, ILO hopes that this declaration will also illuminate the path towards the same objective in Indonesia,” said Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia.
The ILO in Indonesia has long contributed to the priority of the Indonesian government to ensure decent working conditions and labour law compliance in the fishing industry. Other ILO projects with a sectoral focus on fishing include the 8.7 Accelerator Lab Programme and Improving Workers’ Rights in Rural Sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a focus on Women Project.
As stated in the Declaration, member States resolved to encourage initiating or concluding bilateral agreements amongst each other and with countries outside the region, "to facilitate safe and regular migration of migrant fishers especially in recruitment and placement processes, safe repatriation and reintegration, and access to justice and remedies."
They also want to consider mainstreaming the protection of migrant fishers in all relevant migration policies, mechanisms and processes of ASEAN and its member States, including with those of the regional body's external partners, international organizations, and other relevant international entities.
The member States will also push for the protection of migrant fishers and their families left behind by ensuring their access to communications, access to information on migration policies, job risks and their rights, and right to any modes of transfer of wages and employment benefits to their families.