Maritime Labour Convention
Maritime leaders unite in Manila for seafarers’ rights
The Philippines hosted a landmark international conference culminating in the Manila Declaration, a global call to uphold the dignity, safety, and rights of over two million seafarers.
5 September 2025
MANILA (ILO News) – The Philippines successfully concluded the International Conference on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety, and Well-being, held from 1-3 September 2025, uniting over 200 delegates from more than 30 countries to address the complex challenges facing maritime workers globally.
The three-day conference, co-organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), operated under the theme, “No One Left Adrift: Seafarers at the Cross Currents of Commerce, Conflict, and Change”.
During the opening session, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Gilbert Houngbo delivered a video message underscoring the critical nature of the industry and the persistence of severe labor issues.
Seafarers are vital to global trade as ILO Director-General Houngbo stated in his video message. He emphasized that the ILO’s 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), ratified by 110 countries and covering 96 per cent of the world fleet is the cornerstone of decent work at sea.
Despite this framework, he noted that serious issues persist. Unpaid wages, extended time on board, fatigue, limited shore leave and connectivity, violence and harassment, lack of social protection and most urgently abandonment continue to plague the sector. He reiterated the call for a renewed social contract and commended the Philippine government for hosting the conference.
The conference opened featuring a plenary on upholding human rights at sea, where Director Khalid Hassan of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines participated in a panel discussion.
In the first plenary session, which tackled issues like wage, abandonment, and harassment, Director Hassan called for stronger enforcement of International Labour Standards. He advocated for closer collaboration among stakeholders to address critical concerns such as excessive workload as implied by fatigue and extended time on board, and persistent issues like unpaid wages, abandonment, and harassment on board.
The conference culminated in the formal launch of the Manila Declaration on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety, and Well-being. The Declaration is a non-binding as presented but powerful moral and political blueprint designed to protect the dignity and rights of the world's over two million seafarers.
The Manila Declaration’s structure directly links it to existing international labour frameworks by outlining eight core commitments. Crucially, one of these commitments is the full implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). This aims to raise global standards for maritime labour amid rising tensions and technological change.
The Declaration has already secured support from the ILO and IMO, reflecting growing global solidarity. MARINA Administrator Sonia Malaluan noted that the Declaration now serves as a guiding compass for collective global action, reaffirming that upholding seafarers' rights is not an option, but a shared obligation.
The Philippines, which championed the 2024 UN Human Rights Council Resolution 56/18 on seafarers’ rights, will continue to work with the ILO and IMO to convert the Declaration’s ideals into regulatory frameworks and enforcement protocols.