Objective 22: Establish mechanisms for the portability of social security entitlements and earned benefits

The Joint Programme on Labour Migration Governance for Development and Integration (better known as the Joint Labour Migration Programme or JLMP) in Africa is a long-term joint undertaking between the four organizations, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the 5th Key Priority Area of the Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development adopted by the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments (AU/Assembly/AU/20(XXIV)/Annex 3, January 2015) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2015.

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

The COVID-19 pandemic represented a major public health challenge and had serious economic and social impacts on origin, transit and destination countries, as well as on migrant workers and their families and on businesses and their operations. This informative note presents policy options in order to ensure comprehensive social protection for migrant workers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Zimbabwe’s National Diaspora Policy provides for a comprehensive national framework to formally mainstream the diaspora into national development processes. It aims to develop measures to enhance protection of Zimbabweans abroad, and establish mechanisms for the transfer and repatriation of terminal, pension, and social security benefits for retired returnees through conclusion of bilateral labour agreements with host countries.

The UnionMigrantNet is a European network of contact points providing services to migrants established, managed and supported by trade unions. It is promoted by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

The main goal of the network is to support fair labour mobility and migration. The services provided by the UnionMigrantNet contact points are aimed at promoting the collective and individual interests and rights of migrants regardless of their status.

In particular, the specific aims of the network are to: 

Established by the UN Network on Migration in May 2019, the Fund is governed by a diverse and inclusive Steering Committee and administered by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office.

Committed to safe, orderly, and regular migration, the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund supports the adoption and implementation of the Global Compact for Migration to encourage the uptake of migration approaches that benefit communities of origin, transit, and destination, as well as migrants. 

The adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers in ASEAN is the realisation of the ASEAN Leaders’ commitments made in the 2007 Cebu Declaration and the 2017 ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. It also reflects the concerted efforts of the Member States to transform ASEAN into a community that is people-centred, inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and dynamic as stated in the ASEAN 2025 Vision.

In 2020, the Southern African Development Community adopted the Guidelines on the Portability of Social Security Benefits, through a tripartite process to help SADC countries adopt policies and regulations so that workers in SADC countries can accumulate and access social security benefits across different countries in the region.

Nepal in 2018 introduced a social security scheme to protect and secure employees working in the formal private sector. The contribution-based social security scheme is funded through the contributions made by the workers and the employers.

Every month, tens of thousands of private sector workers and their employers contribute to a common fund which will help needy workers get financial support. Returning migrants can also pay contributions to this Fund and benefit from social entitlements.