Jakarta – International Organization for Migration (IOM), the European Union (EU), Sweden and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs launched the Indonesia national implementation plan of the Migration, Business and Human Rights Programme in Asia (MBHR Asia) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 22 May 2024. 

The MBHR Asia aims to promote corporate responsibility and full respect of migrant workers’ rights in global supply chains focusing on key labour migration corridors in Asia, encompassing both countries of origin and destination, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.  

“The significant role and potential of migrant workers placement must be accompanied by the fulfilment of workers' rights, including access to safe and regular migration channels, as well as ensuring ethical recruitment and decent work. We hope that the MBHR Asia programme can align with the national policies and enhance collaboration among stakeholders to improve the placement and protection of Indonesian migrant workers."  said Nuryani Yunus, Deputy Assistant on Employment Ecosystem Harmonization, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs.  

Indonesia is one of the major sending countries of migrant workers in the region, with approximately 274,000 migrant workers being deployed annually, according to the Protection Agency of Indonesian Migrant Workers or the BP2MI’s data in 2023. However, this data does not account for undocumented workers, of which it has been estimated there are anywhere from nearly 5 (UN DESA, 2020) to 9 million workers abroad (World Bank, 2017).   

IOM has consistently highlighted that uneven governance, limited labour migration pathways, unethical recruitment and employment business practices have rendered migrant workers at greater risk of exploitation, hindering development outcomes for migrants, home and host countries alike. 

“Safe migration is about empowering people with transparent information. Employers, recruitment agencies, and the migrant workers, they all need to know the same information.” said Jeffrey Labovitz, Chief of Mission, IOM Indonesia.  

Legislation, such as the recently adopted EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU CS3D), and industry commitments are driving business action to strengthen corporate respect for rights of migrant workers in all business relationships and entire supply chains globally. 

“The importance of migrant workers’ rights, particularly in the global supply chains, cannot be overstated. This initiative highlights EU’s commitment to promoting human rights, ensuring fair labour practices, and fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Through proactive approaches and collaborative efforts, we are determined to make a meaningful impact on the lives of migrant workers and their communities,” said Thibaut Portevin, Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. 

With financial support from the European Union and Sweden, MBHR Asia builds on over a decade’s work with the private sector on protecting migrant employees.   

“The upholding of migrant workers’ rights is imperative, not only from a human rights standpoint, but also from a business perspective. IOM has demonstrated great ability to advance this work in a holistic way, meaningfully engaging with stakeholders from different parts of society, on national, regional and even global level. Sweden is very pleased to continue our support to IOM, under the Migration, Business and Human Rights in Asia programme,” said Gustav Dahlin, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Sweden in Jakarta.  

To date, IOM has worked with partners to support more than 600,000 migrant workers in Asia, assisting fair recruitment, responsible employment practices, and ensuring there are processes in place for when things go wrong in the workplace.   

Over the next five years, through MBHR Asia, IOM will continue working with its partners to strengthen integration of migration in the business and human rights dialogue and encourage ethical recruitment and responsible employment, while promoting regular labour migration pathways as an alternative to irregular migration.

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For more information, please contact: 

Pya Ayunindya, National Project Officer, Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion (LMI), email sayunindya@iom.int  

The Migration, Business and Human Rights (MBHR) Programme in Asia is a five-year regional programme and is funded by the European Union and Sweden. The programme will run from 2024-2028 across Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.