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.

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