India to Chair ‘Colombo Process’

Why in the News?

India has become chair of the regional grouping “Colombo Process” for the first time since its inception in 2003.

What is the Colombo Process?

• The Colombo Process, established on March 19, 2003, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a regional consultative initiative addressing challenges faced by migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia.
• Objective:
  • Primary Goal: The Colombo Process aims to enhance the management of contractual labour migration from Asian countries.
  • Focus: It seeks to safeguard the rights and welfare of migrant workers while maximizing the benefits of labour migration for both sending and receiving countries.
• The Process is non-binding and decision-making is by consensus.

Membership:

• Initial Composition: Initially comprising 11 member countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Expansion: The Process has since expanded to include additional countries like Cambodia and Myanmar.

Five Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs) i.e. 

1. Skills and Qualification Recognition (chaired by Sri Lanka);
2. Fostering Ethical Recruitment (chaired by Bangladesh);
3. Pre-Departure Orientation and Empowerment (chaired by the Philippines);
4. Remittances (chaired by Pakistan) and
5. Labour Market Analysis (chaired by Thailand).

Key Focus Areas:

• Policy Development: Addressing various aspects of labour migration, including policy development, capacity building, data collection, and sharing best practices.
• Rights Protection: Ensuring the protection of migrant workers’ rights, skills recognition, ethical recruitment, and combating human trafficking and irregular migration.

Activities and Initiatives:

• Dialogue Platforms: Regular meetings, conferences, and workshops serve as platforms for dialogue and cooperation among member countries.
• Guidelines and Toolkits: Development of guidelines, toolkits, and policy frameworks to assist member countries in effectively managing labour migration.
• Collaboration: Collaboration with international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to implement joint initiatives and projects.