Address to the National Seminar on ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers

Good Morning (Sawaddee)

His Excellency Minister of Labour, Khun ApaiChandanachulaka

Distinguished participants

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to welcome you to this joint activity between the Ministry of Labour, Royal Government of Thailand and the ILO relating to international labour migration. Since labour migration has now become a global and regional phenomenon, I am delighted that the Royal Government of Thailand through the Ministry of Labour has placed greater emphasis on the labour migration issue which has implications for economic security, human security, and national security.

The adoption of the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers by the Heads of State of ASEAN on 13 January 2007, in Cebu, the Philippines, has signified regional concerns on the plight of migrant workers, the management of labour
migration, and demonstrated a commitment to regional cooperation to tackle issues arising from cross-border movement of labour.

Labour migration has evidently contributed to the dynamism of the regional economies. Many people are not aware of the role that migrant workers have increasingly played in Thailand ’s economic prosperity. No doubt, the exports of agricultural and fishery products from Thailand are the efforts of both Thai and foreign workers, from plantation, harvesting, processing and transport. Foods we consume, comfort we enjoy, clothes we wear and work hazards we avoid are directly or indirectly the contributions of migrant workers, legally or irregularly working in Thailand . In most cases, migrants complement Thai workers for jobs shunned by nationals. They also help maintain Thai export-oriented sectors from shrimp, rubber, to textile to be competitive internationally. Over the decades, the rising number of migrants in Thailand , officially close to 2 million in 2004, is already a testament to their indispensable roles in social and economic development. A recent study commissioned by the ILO estimates that migrant workers constituted about 5 percent of the labour force, and contributed about US Dollars 2 billion to the GDP in Thailand at current prices in 2005.

Still, many human rights problems affecting migrants arise from discrimination and racism, and concern integration and cultural identity. Unequal access to economic, social and cultural rights may mean that migrants, including children of undocumented migrants, are excluded from education, and limited or denied access to health services, including emergency care, as part of policies to restrict and deter immigration.

The management of labour migration in East and Southeast Asia and the immigration reforms in America and European Union have long been a controversial and divisive subject. The management of labour migration is not an undertaking of one individual country, but it is the responsibility of the origin, transit and destination countries to ensure orderly migration. Migration is, therefore, increasingly being recognized worldwide as one of the key challenges the international community has to tackle. We have to admit that labour migration is a process to be managed, not a problem to be solved.

In order to advance the coordination of economic and social policies among the ASEAN countries, the ILO and ASEAN has been discussing the establishment of a regular mechanism for dialogue and consultations on the many issues raised by migration. Such a mechanism can take the form of a regular ASEAN Forum on Labour Migration. The Forum would aim to deepen understanding of the role being played by the cross-border movements of workers in enhancing the flexibility and dynamism of the region’s economies and societies, to build trust and confidence through dialogue on emerging problems and issues, to help national authorities anticipate future challenges by considering what demographic trends and current economic and political developments suggest about the likely impact on migration pressures, and to enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation for effective governance of labour markets and migration. The ASEAN SLOM held in Jakarta in May of this year agreed on an initial step to hold an ASEAN Forum on Labour Migration in the Philippines in the next year.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe that this initiative combined with the important actions taking place in some countries will have a powerful effect across the Region as a whole. I look forward to seeing labour migration issues being placed high on the political agenda across the Region, and in Thailand .