Today, representatives from The Labour Ministries and Social Security agencies of ASEAN Member States, employers’, workers’ and civil society groups concluded the second consultation workshop to develop an ASEAN Guidelines on the Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers. Officials from Timor-Leste also joined as observers.
The guideline is being developed upon the initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia with the support of The International Labour Organization (ILO), through the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme, and The ASEAN Secretariat.
It aims to provide guiding principles and practical steps to ASEAN Member States considering a bilateral or multilateral agreement to facilitate cross-border transfer of social security benefits for migrant workers upon return to their home countries. The development of the Guidelines is called upon in the ASEAN Declaration on Portability of Social Security Benefits for Migrant Workers in ASEAN adopted at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2022. The Guideline is planned for adoption by the ASEAN Labour Ministers this year.
The second consultation workshop was held on the 15th of January 2024 in Siem Reap and followed by a training in negotiation of social security agreements from 16th to 18th of January. The training will provide an opportunity to enhance knowledge on the steps to prepare, manage and conclude an inter-governmental negotiation process of such agreement. The first consultation workshop was convened virtually last March 9-10, 2023.