ILO calls for safe migration and decent work for Myanmar migrants on International Migrants Day

YANGON (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO), together with Myanmar civil society organizations, community-based organizations and labour organizations, commemorated International Migrants Day with an event held in Yangon on 14 December 2025.  This year’s observance was celebrated under the theme “Every Migrant, Every Story, One Humanity.”

© ILO

The event was organized by the European Union (EU)-funded Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia: Safe Migration for Decent Work in the Blue Economy and the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The aim was to raise awareness of the individuality, dignity and shared humanity of migrant workers, and the invaluable contributions that they make, even amidst increased vulnerability in Myanmar resulting from political instability and conflict.

More than 200 participants attended in person and online, including potential and returned migrant workers and their families and the civil society and labour organizations supporting them. The programme highlighted the voices of migrant workers from Myanmar currently employed in Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, as well as sharing the experiences of returnees. A panel discussion addressed labour migration policies in Thailand and Japan, and fair recruitment initiatives for Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand’s seafood processing sector.

Yutong Liu, Liaison Officer and Country Representative for ILO Myanmar, stated:
“The contributions of migrant workers deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated in Myanmar. Migrants continue to provide an essential lifeline to their families and communities back home, which is especially critical during these challenging times. The ILO is committed to working with its social partners and other relevant stakeholders to help ensure robust protection of the rights of Myanmar migrant workers throughout the migration process.”

On 18 December 2025, the ILO published a series of migrant workers’ stories on the ILO Myanmar Facebook page to highlight their achievements and to raise awareness of the importance of safe and fair labour migration in Myanmar.

"On International Migrants Day, it’s important to recognize that labour migration provides an essential livelihood strategy for the Myanmar people, particularly with diminished employment opportunities in the local labour market. As the availability of safe migration pathways has been reduced in recent years, Myanmar migrants are now more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Through the EU-funded Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia programme, the ILO and its partners have been working to expand access to safe migration, decent working conditions, and protection of fundamental labour rights for Myanmar migrant workers, particularly in the fishing, seafood processing and aquaculture sectors," said Benjamin Harkins, Technical Specialist, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia: Safe Migration for Decent Work in the Blue Economy is a regional initiative funded by the EU. The ILO implements the programme in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with the overall objective of promoting safe migration and decent work for a sustainable fish and seafood supply chain in South-East Asia. The programme addresses the specific vulnerabilities that migrant workers face in these sectors, as well as the risks they encounter during the labour migration process, which can lead to decent work deficits, labour rights abuses and forced labour.

For further information, please contact:

Benjamin Harkins
Technical Specialist, Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia Programme
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Email: [email protected] 

Worapon Rattanawarawong
Public Information Officer, Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia Programme
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Email: [email protected]