ILO, IOM and the UNDP are pleased to bring you this first edition of The Ship to Shore Rights South East Asia (SEA) newsletter. Since we officially launched on 20 January 2021, Ship to Shore Rights SEA is now active in all seven countries and has begun implementation.
During the inception phase, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health and livelihoods of the most vulnerable and has disproportionately impacted migrant workers including those in the fishing and seafood processing sectors across Southeast Asia. At the same time, the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021 has meant that the programme needed to rethink its strategy to ensure that interventions directly benefit migrant workers and the resilience of civil society and worker organizations and do not legitimize military rule, and are in line with the principles of the European Union and United Nations.
Despite these challenges, the programme has already made important contributions to the protection of migrant workers in the fishing and seafood processing sectors in Southeast Asia. We have responded to the needs of migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, advocated with governments to generate commitment to realizing decent work for migrants and on legal and policy reforms. We have also invested in empowering workers, and engaging employers to improve compliance.
We look forward to working with governments, workers’ organizations, employers’ organizations and civil society.
Together, we will build a tide of change to support decent working conditions for all migrant workers in Southeast Asia who work tirelessly to bring us the fruits of the sea.
