Global financial crisis hot topic in 2nd GFMD
by MARIA ALETA O. NIEVA, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/28/2008 9:46 PM
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The possible effects of the current global financial crisis on migrant workers all over the world will be included in the topics for discussion in the intergovernmental meeting of the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) on October 29 to 30.
“From the global perspective, we are going to tackle this issue also at the global forum, not just the Philippine OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), but migrants all over the world. This will be one of the most interesting topics we're going to discuss in the forum tomorrow,” Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs and 2nd GFMD chair Esteban Conejos Jr. said Tuesday.
According to Conejos, President Arroyo has already directed departments to draw up contingency plans to cushion the impact of the economic meltdown that could affect OFWs.
One of the government’s contingency plans is what it calls the Filipino Expat Livelihood Support Fund, which would provide opportunities for overseas workers who might be displaced due to the crisis.
“On the part of DFA, we instructed our embassies around the world to closely monitor the economic situation in their respective countries so we could input country specific plans to the overall national plan to cushion the impact of the crisis,” said Conejos.
Conejos cited as an example that the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong has submitted its report to the DFA.
“Based on their assessment, they said the Hong Kong government could take two possible actions here. The first one, they either freeze the minimum wage of our domestic workers or they can actually reduce. Our expectation is that they will not reduce but just maintain the present minimum wage,” he said.
Real challenge to migrants
For Peter Sutherland, the special representative of the United Nation secretary-general, the financial crisis poses a real challenge to immigrant communities around the world and “this would be in terms of their employment.”
“One of the first lines of the effect of the global financial crisis will be immigrant communities. Therefore, it is particularly relevant in this time of the global forum should be taking place, and trying to address some of these challenge,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland also commented on the issue that some countries of destinations are placing a freeze on the hiring of migrants.
“My personal view, I’m against black-and-white observations of that kind by any government. The world is much more complicated place. Migration takes place whether the governments allegedly impose freezes on migration or not. I don’t believe in that type of expression of opinions by governments in respect to migration,” he said.
Sutherland said the UN’s general attitude has been to “try to be helpful in the process of migration and to believe in an open world in so far as an open world can be provided in a manner which works effectively in the interest of society as a whole.
No major layoffs
Meanwhile, Conejos said the DFA has yet to receive reports of unusual termination of migrant workers.
He explained that there was no crisis when the government first started preparing for the Manila GFMD 18 months ago.
“But when the crisis came, I said we have to be flexible enough to respond to this. The element of the crisis, our planning for it, what was the impact on the migrant workers, what is the implication on development, we will have these issues incorporated into our roundtable discussions," he said.
Conejos attended the closing of the GFMD’s Civil Society Days where its official report will be turned over to him and to the governments during the plenary session on Wednesday.
Interface
“What happened this afternoon was an interface between governments and civil society. This was an experiment that the Philippines is trying here in Manila because we didn’t have that before,” he said.
For Conejos, the idea behind the interface was to bring in a group of government representatives to the civil society meeting to interact with them.
“Here, based on the interaction, I could already see some of the things they would like government to focus on,” said Conejos.
He believes that the GFMD in Manila will yield concrete results like in the first forum held in Belgium.
“In Brussels, there were 12. In the Manila conference, based on our working paper and the way we structured the thematic discussions, we expect about 7 or 8 specific outcomes,” he said, adding that one of the results that could come out of the conference is a case study that would look into the linkages between the protection of the rights of migrants and their ability to contribute to development.
“This could be the basis then of a policy by governments to push forward the elements of protection for our workers,” he said.
