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• Concept Note
• Workshop Agenda
• Participants List

Venue: Cambodiana Hotel

Date: 2025 Feb 11

South-East Asia is a region with large numbers of migrant workers. In recent years, Japan has become an increasingly popular destination, given the higher wages, better living conditions, and availability of public services. Japan has welcomed increasing numbers of migrant workers. Many of these migrants are low-paid and reside in the country under the terms of the Technical Internship Trainee Program (TITP) and Specified Skill Workers (SSW) scheme. As at the end of June 2023, there were approximately 358,000 TITP and 173,000 SSW workers in Japan¹⁾ , the majority of whom hail from states within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As Japan grapples with pressing labour shortages, the number of migrant workers from ASEAN member states is expected to rise significantly over the coming years.

The ILO’s technical cooperation project, Survey for Co-creating a Joint Work Plan for Improving Access to Remedy of Migrant Workers from Southeast Asia to Japan (RAS/24/03/JPN), is a JICA-funded project envisioning enhancing access to remedies for migrant workers from South-East Asian countries to Japan as a long-term goal.

Having started in March 2024, the project has collected information about challenges and existing efforts from local stakeholders through an inception study, consultation meetings and workshops, and pilot activities to improve access to remedy for migrant workers. Based on the inputs, the project will develop a Joint Work Plan for the key stakeholders to take actions in the South-East Asia region. This final workshop will be the opportunity for the key stakeholders to review the content of a draft Joint Work Plan and endorse it for future collaborations and actions.

The main theme of the workshop is “access to remedy”, which is one of the three pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). The UNGP requires signatory states to “take appropriate steps to ensure, through judicial, administrative, legislative or other appropriate means, that when such abuses occur within their territory and/or jurisdiction those affected have access to effective remedy”²⁾. In particular, states should “take appropriate steps to ensure the effectiveness of domestic judicial mechanisms when addressing business-related human rights abuses, including considering ways to reduce legal, practical and other relevant barriers that could lead to a denial of access to remedy”³⁾.

The workshop will discuss how the key stakeholders from countries of origin and destination can work together to improve migrant workers’ access to remedy based on the Joint Work Plan.

• Participants from different countries will be connected to share information about remedy for migrant workers in the region.
• The Joint Work Plan will be recognized by the participating countries.

To ensure the Joint Work Plan will be developed through consultations and help participants get ready for the workshop, the ILO plans to organize two online preparatory meetings.

For Online Preparatory Meetings;

• Simultaneous interpretation will be available in Khmer, Indonesian Bahasa, and Vietnamese.
• Video recording and meeting note will be shared for those who miss the meetings.

The workshop will be held in one full-day on 11 February 2025.

Cambodia

• Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT)
• Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA)
• Cambodia Labour Confederation (CLC)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
• Ministry of Interior (MoI)
• National Union Alliance Chamber of Cambodia (NACC)
• Association of Cambodian Recruitment Agencies (ACRA)
• Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW)
• IOM Cambodia

Indonesia

• Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection (P2MI)
• Indonesian Employer's Association (APINDO)
• Confederation of Labour Union throughout Indonesia (KSBSI)
• Association of Migrant Worker Placement Companies (ASPATAKI)
• Serikat Buruh Migran Indonesia (SBMI)

Viet Nam

• Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB)
• Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)
• Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL)
• Vietnam Association of Manpower Supply (VAMAS)
• Center for Development and Integration (CDI)
• Migrant Resource Centre in Bac Ninh province

Thailand

• Department of Employment

Philippines

• The Philippines Embassy, Migrant Workers Office in Japan

Japan

• JP-MIRAI

Other Stakeholders

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
• Mekong Migration Network (MMN)

In addition to the workshop participants above, the following participants will be invited to the Online Preparatory Meetings.

Cambodia

• National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT)
• ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT)
• Winrock International
• International Justice Mission (IJM)
• Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL)
• Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center (CWCC)
• Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)
• Bar Association of Kingdom of Cambodia (BAKC)

Indonesia

• Ministry of Manpower (MoM)
• Ministry of Law and Human Rights (MLHR)
• BPJS Ketenagakerjaan
• Association of Indonesian Employers and Employers (HIMSATAKI)
• Indonesian Manpower Services Association (APJATI)
• Perkumpulan Pengusaha Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia (Perpemindo)
• Association of Indonesian Apprenticeship Organizers (APPI)
• Association of the Providers of Overseas Technical Internship Program (AP2LN)
• Confederation of All Indonesian Workers' Unions (KSPSI)
• Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI)
• Sarekat Buruh Muslimin Indonesia (Sarbumsi)
• Human Rights Working Group (HRWG)
• Migrant Care
• Keluarga Besar Buruh Migran Indonesia (Kabarbumi)
• Solidaritas Perempuan (SP)
• University of Indonesia
• Indonesian Advocates Association (PERADI)

Viet Nam

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
• Thanh Hoa Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA)
• Thanh Hoa Legal Aid Centre
• Hanoi Bar Association

Japan

• Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT)
• Japan Platform for Migrant Workers towards Responsible and Inclusive Society (JP-MIRAI)
• Kanazawa University
• Hurights Osaka

Other Stakeholders

• Migrant Forum Asia (MFA)
• Lawyers Beyond Border (LBB)
• UNDP Asia Pacific Reginal Office
• IOM Asia Pacific Regional Office
• OHCHR
• ASEAN Secretariat