GFMD 2021-2022 transition period

The National Institute of Migration of Dominican Republic carried out a study “Promotion of livelihoods for the Venezuelan population in the Dominican Republic” in coordination with ILO and UNHCR which provides a detailed analysis of the job profiles and skills of Venezuelan migrants in the country, as well as protection and regularization measures aimed at avoiding labor informality and facilitating insertion in the health, education and tourism sectors without creating competition with national workers.

As of January 2019, the Government of Mexico launched the Migrant Caravan Attention Plan, in which all federal agencies participate, under the direction of the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection and the Ministry of the Interior, especially the INM and under the coordination of the National Coordination of Civil Protection (CNPC). The Plan, that has been implemented since the beginning of the new government, establishes interinstitutional actions to ensure a humanitarian approach to the arrival of migrants and to regulate their entry so that it is legal, orderly and safe.

Mexico has developed a series of protocols and documents to guarantee the rights of people in mobility contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially related to the right to health.

These instruments are the following: 

The governments of Switzerland and Sweden, in partnership with UNCDF, are supporting the ‘Building Inclusive Digital Economies for Migrants’ programme to bring digital financial services to un- or underserved migrants, to establish digital wage payment solutions, to innovate the remittances market by driving the development of digital transfer solutions and to develop remittance-linked finance products, such as .health insurance, school and education payment plans, savings, investments and loans; pension funds and social security schemes.

Justice for Wage Theft is a campaign platform created by Migrant Forum in Asia calling for measures to protect migrant workers who have been denied wages and repatriated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The platform contains:

• policy briefs and other information about the situation
• curated news articles
• a petition that visitors can sign
• a submission form that visitors can use to alert Migrant Forum in Asia to cases of non-payment of wages, benefits and dues
• campaign posters

‘Safer Migration’ (SaMI) project (Helvetas Nepal, funded by Switzerland) is a joint skill-upgrade initiative to ensure decent work in countries of destination. It provides skill training, including life skills and health, and certification for prospective migrant workers (9000 have benefitted from this programme between 2011 and 2018 of which 22% of women). Collaboration between CSOs, private institutions, the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) and Foreign employment board (FEB)

The successful reintegration of migrant workers once they return to Sri Lanka relies on the workers providing evidence of their expertise and experience acquired overseas. Furthermore, a worker's ability to secure employment is linked with their skills and competencies. Presenting proof of expertise and experience acquired can be difficult for low and semi-skilled returnee migrant workers and workers in Sri Lanka. Although Sri Lanka has an established national skills assessment system, there is no systematic method of recognizing the skills of workers.

Established under the Urban Agenda for the European Union (EU), the Urban Partnership for the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees brings together EU Member States, EU institutions, local authorities and civil society to contribute to develop integration policies related to different areas including education, the labour market and housing.

Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Project (EMPP) empowers regional partners and stakeholders, including local governments and the private sector, to help immigration address regional and local labour, economic and demographic challenges and create complementary pathways for the protection of refugees and durable solutions through labour mobility, family reunification, and education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the importance of making health services accessible to all and many Member States have decided to provide access to healthcare to all residents. Canada has updated pre-departure medical services for resettled refugees including testing and isolation and provided coverage for telemedical and virtual health services for beneficiaries of the Interim Federal Health Programme providing temporary health coverage for refugee claimants and other specific categories of migrants.