MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / May 27, 2013) – Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jesus Yabes has strongly asserted the need for continued protection of migrant workers at the recent meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in Geneva.
Yabes also spoke to Ambassador Eva Åkerman Börje, the National Focal Person of Sweden, and stressed stressed the importance of social protection of migrants as a continuing major concern of the GFMD.
He encouraged Sweden to led the GFMD in encouraging countries of destinations to be more engaged on the issues of migrants protection. He emphasized that migrants protection is a shared responsibility of both the sending and destination countries.
Sweden is the current chair of GFMD until June 2014 and will be hosting the GFMD Summit in May 2014 in Stockholm.
Now in its sixth year, the GFMD has remained as the largest and most comprehensive global platform for dialogue and cooperation on international migration and development.
Following the 2006 UNGA High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, the GFMD has opened up a space for informal and voluntary dialogue among countries on current and emerging migration and development issues.
Over time, its members have sought to find innovative ways of promoting a practice-related and action-oriented process.
Each year, the GFMD builds upon the achievements of the previous year and introduces new means of promoting more effective dialogue and partnership between and among governments, international organizations, the civil society, and other non-governmental actors.
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