Bangladesh and ILO join forces to strengthen social protection for migrant workers

© ILO

© ILO

DHAKA (ILO News) – An ILO STREAM Programme mission visited Bangladesh (19–22 October) for a series of collaborative discussions on advancing social protection for Bangladeshi migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as at home and across the South Asia–Gulf migration corridor.

A large number of Bangladeshi migrant workers are employed in GCC countries. Despite their invaluable contribution to shaping economies abroad and driving development at home, they often struggle to access social protection. With social protection reforms underway across GCC countries, ongoing work by the ILO highlights that there is strong momentum to overcome structural gaps and harness new opportunities to expand effective legal access to social protection, especially for women and vulnerable workers. Countries in South Asia are also increasing efforts to strengthen social protection for returnee migrant workers.

The mission brought together representatives of the government, workers’ and employers’ organizations, civil society, academia and development partners to discuss ways of collaborating with the ILO to make social protection a reality for migrant workers and their families. The stakeholders agreed that the time is ripe to shape a long-term vision for the strategic revision and expansion of social protection measures and services, informed by financial analysis and aligned with national policy processes. Forward-looking ILO initiatives like the newly launched STREAM Programme are well placed to support these efforts.

“The STREAM initiative comes at an extremely important moment,” highlighted Mr Gunjan Talakoti, Head of Programme at ILO Bangladesh. “Bangladesh is undergoing major reforms in its social protection landscape – including the national social insurance discussions and broader restructuring efforts. Bringing migrant workers into this conversation is timely, necessary, and fully aligned with national priorities,” Highlighting the importance of the ILO’s longstanding partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and stakeholders in Bangladesh, he continued: “What we are collectively striving for is system-level change in the migration landscape – particularly the introduction of transportable or accessible social protection mechanisms for migrant workers.”elopments across the South Asia–GCC migration corridor.”

© ILO

© ILO

Spanning across the South Asian and Arab regions, STREAM builds upon global commitments to extend fundamental social protection rights and address challenges faced by one of the world’s largest migrant populations. The regional programme is highly relevant to Bangladesh’s efforts to expand social protection for migrant workers, fostering foster regional cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin and destination.

"Over the past 15 years, Switzerland has been working with the Bangladeshi Government to improve labour migration governance, promote safe and fair recruitment, and protect the rights and welfare of Bangladeshi migrants," said Ms Lisa Tanitha Greminger, Regional Advisor for Migration Protection at the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh. "We see STREAM as both a continuation and a deepening of our joint efforts," she continued. "Switzerland is proud to support this initiative. It reflects the power of partnership. It links countries of origin and countries of destination, and it brings together workers, employers, different units in the government, as well as local partners all with the objective to ensure that migrant workers and their families can access social protection across borders."

Spanning across the South Asian and Arab regions, STREAM builds upon global commitments to extend fundamental social protection rights and address challenges faced by one of the world’s largest migrant populations. The regional programme is highly relevant to Bangladesh’s efforts to expand social protection for migrant workers, fostering foster regional cooperation and dialogue between countries of origin and destination.
"Over the past 15 years, Switzerland has been working with the Bangladeshi Government to improve labour migration governance, promote safe and fair recruitment, and protect the rights and welfare of Bangladeshi migrants," said Ms Lisa Tanitha Greminger, Regional Advisor for Migration Protection at the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh. "We see STREAM as both a continuation and a deepening of our joint efforts," she continued. "Switzerland is proud to support this initiative. It reflects the power of partnership. It links countries of origin and countries of destination, and it brings together workers, employers, different units in the government, as well as local partners all with the objective to ensure that migrant workers and their families can access social protection across borders."

© ILO

© ILO

To explore concrete entry point for cooperation, the ILO STREAM team held a series of technical and policy discussions with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MEWOE), the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board (WEWB), the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), and representatives of workers, civil society and research institutions. These exchanges highlighted the urgent need to ensure that Bangladeshi migrant workers and their families have effective access to work-related injury and death compensation, both in destination countries and back home. The discussions also pinpointed a range of other areas where the STREAM Programme can offer technical support to Bangladesh. These include reviewing the efficiency and financial sustainability of mandatory insurance schemes, enhancing data consolidation to systemically track acquired rights, and tailoring pre-departure orientation to GCC country contexts.

Stakeholders raised the pressing issue of protecting migrant workers’ health, including their mental health, and the long-term health consequences of labour migration. They called for stronger dialogue on these matters across the South Asia–Gulf migration corridor. They also highlighted the need for gender-responsive social protection throughout the migration cycle for women migrant workers, particularly those employed in domestic and care work. Throughout the mission, Bangladeshi stakeholders underscored the need for enhanced regional exchange and cooperation, backed by in-depth research and policy advocacy. They emphasized the need to strengthen the voices of South Asian labour-sending countries and navigating sensitive discussions with GCC counterparts on maintaining migrant workers’ acquired rights, ensuring equal treatment and facilitating the portability of social protection benefits.

“As one of the largest labour-sending countries to the GCC, Bangladesh has already taken important steps to provide social protection for its nationals working abroad. But extending social protection across borders cannot be done by countries of origin alone – it requires coordinated efforts with countries of destination,” said Mr Luca Pellerano, ILO Senior Technical Advisor on Social Protection and STREAM Programme Manager. “STREAM is here to help build that connection, so that migrant workers are effectively protected both where they work and in their home countries.”

Earlier in November, the Government of Bangladesh participated in the official launch of the STREAM Programme as part of the dialogue session, “From origin to destination: Advancing social protection for workers across the GCC, South Asia and Africa labour migration corridors”, at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha. Mr Ahmadul Haque, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of Bangladesh, emphasized the importance of integrating social protection into regional migration discussions. “Bangladesh is working closely with destination countries to make social protection benefits portable and gender-responsive,” he said. “We are following with great interest the policy developments in the GCC and welcome the ILO’s engagement through the STREAM initiative and its corridor-based approach. Looking ahead, Bangladesh proposes that social protection be included as a regular agenda item within the Abu Dhabi Dialogue.”

STREAM is a multi-country, multi-partner initiative designed to expand inclusive, gender-responsive and rights-based social protection coverage for migrant workers and their families across the South Asia–GCC migration corridor. Implemented by the ILO in partnership and with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Foreign Policy Instrument of the European Union and the Ford Foundation, STREAM aims to create a world where every migrant worker – no matter their gender, status, or sector - can access the social protection they deserve to live and work in dignity.