Proceedings of MMN’s Policy Dialogue on Roles of Countries of Origin in Yangon, Myanmar, is now available online

From 20-21 July 2017, MMN organised a Policy Dialogue on Roles of Countries of Origin in Yangon, Myanmar.The objectives of the Policy Dialogue were the following:

  1. For MMN to share research findings and recommendations from its research on roles of countries of origin, including lessons that may be learnt from the Philippines and Indonesia’s experience on migration governance;
  2. For various stakeholders, including governments, private recruitment agencies, UN agencies, and civil society organisations, to share their perspectives on the roles countries of origin should play in making migration safer; and
  3. To provide a forum for various stakeholders to discuss a way forward for Myanmar and Cambodia.

Representatives of the Cambodian and Myanmar governments, along with representatives from the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, private recruitment agencies, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and CSOs from Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines, gathered to hear research findings and recommendations from MMN’s most recent project and  publication, titled: “Safe from the Start: The roles of countries of origin in protecting migrants”. The Policy Dialogue also provided space for various stakeholders to discuss the roles countries of origin could increasingly play in protecting their nationals migrating abroad.

During the Policy Dialogue, Governments of Cambodia and Myanmar agreed to meet again to discuss a common country of origin agenda, with which to jointly advocate to the Thai Government and other countries of destination.

Her Excellency Ms. Chou Bun Eng, Secretary of State of Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior, and Permanent Deputy Chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking, offered to host this multi-stakeholder GMS Country of Origin Dialogue among the Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR governments by December 2017. The outcome of the Policy Dialogue is a significant and ground-breaking step for country of origin governments in Southeast Asia.

 

To view the full proceedings online in English, please visit: RoCoOPolicyDialogueProceedings