KASAMA Vol. 18 No. 2 / April-May-June 2004 / Solidarity Philippines Australia Network
A project of the Philippine
Migrants' Rights Watch
Shaping the Future of Filipino Labor Migration Exercise
World Conference of OFWs
Bayview Hotel, Manila, Philippines
December 16-18, 2004
'It has been the tradition of PMRW to hold a public forum
on migrants issues every December of each year since
1997 to celebrate the adoption of the UN Migrant Workers
Convention by the UN General Assembly. Other migrant
organizations followed suit until the UN decided in 2000
to declare December 18 as the International Migrants
Day. '
This year, following the entry into force of the Migrant
Convention on July 1, 2003, we deem it fitting to hold a
global forum - an OFW World Congress - to bring together
the significant labor migration stakeholders,
particularly the OFWs themselves, in a forum to discuss
their issues and concerns, exchange information, best
practices and solidarity with the end in view of shaping
together and putting forward the migrants' agenda in the
national and international agenda.
'
The main topics to be discussed during the conference
are as follows:
- International conventions, migrants' rights and
migrants' rights education.
- Philippine GOs' commitments for the OFWs' welfare.
- Gender dimensions of Philippine labor migration.
- Unauthorized migration and trafficking.
- Emerging trends in the global labor market/the role of
the migration industry.
- Migration/integration policies of receiving countries.
- OFWs and overseas Filipinos as political actors
(Absentee Voting Law).
- Dual citizenship.
- Reintegration programs
- Transnational linkages (Good practices and solidarity
projects).
- Filipino migrants and transnationals as culture
bearers (i.e., as bearers of Filipino culture abroad; as
bearers of other cultures in the Philippines).
- Social costs of migration.
'For inquiries and more information, please visit the
Philippine Migrants Rights Watch website at
http://www.pmrw.org/ or send an email to
'Many thanks and best regards,
Ellene A. Sana
for the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) and
Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW)