inSights

Policy Briefing
ISSUE 3, JULY 2009 Manila, Philippines

Pursuing National Interest through the GFMD: Experiences and Policy Options for DOLE
In an array of processes by which the Philippines pursues its national interest to open more doors for Filipinos who choose to work overseas while ensuring their protection during the entire cycle of managed circular migration, where does the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) fit in?
The GFMD is a candid, informal, non-binding forum among member countries of the United Nations that focuses mainly on realizing developmental goals hinged on migration. Although a process outside the United Nations, GFMD takes cue and support from the Secretary General as elaborated during the UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development in September 2006. In the Dialogue, 140 Member States discussed the global implications of international migration and the mutually beneficial interaction between migration and development. Explicit discussions on the close relationship of development policies with migration policies were made. Reaffirmations were also made on how good migration governance can contribute to development and how development policies can impact on migration. GFMD holds the promise of serving as a venue for fresh debates aimed to end in practical, concrete solutions to enhance the benefits of international migration and minimize its negative effects. Countries, both developing and developed participate in informal, voluntary and led by Member States operating in a transparent and open manner[and] would not produce outcomes or normative decisions, but it would produce closer cooperation among Governments. Implicitly, it is being promoted as a way to engage countries with aversion from formal, binding commitments under tedious negotiations such as the WTO Doha Development Agenda, financial rules-based developmental offerings of international financial institutions, and proliferating regionalism. Lessons From Participating in the 2nd GFMD Meeting, Manila Organizing the Philippine Team. The Philippine Delegation was led by the Department of Labor and Employment supported by an ad hoc In-

POLICY PRESCRIPTIONS
The Philippines is on the cutting edge of bilateral labor agreements by having been able to conclude about seventy-eight (78) agreements with destination countries. This mode of gaining market access for Filipinos who choose to work overseas, as a consequence of the policy of managing temporary migration with the best possible protection for workers, is the preferred mode of engaging destination countries. But by being a de facto demandeur for liberalization in the movement of natural persons under the multilateral framework of trading in services, and being a country with competitive edge on the skills and talents of its workers toward achieving full development, other means to secure legal entry and fair treatment of Filipino in foreign workplaces should remain as open options. The GFMD on the other hand, is a process being presented to be distinctly focused on the connection of migration and development aside from being another possible avenue to constructively engage partners in the global labor market. The Philippines must treat the GFMD precisely as such, and continue participating in the process, sustain the work started by the Task Force, with the following considerations: 1. Understanding underlying motivations of participants to further Philippine interests within the migration-development nexus. 2. Strategically positioning the Contributions to the forum by being mindful of the dynamics in the international arena which precisely contributed to the inception of the GFMD. 3. Strategically formulating the Contributions to raise interest on the practices of the Philippines and elicit interest in engaging the Philippines in development-related co-operation. 4. Strengthening the internal process of the Task Force by: Re-communicating the significance of the GFMD to local policymakers Laying down a Pursuing the National Interest Plan for fu ture GFMD Meetings

This paper was written by Levinson C. Alcantara, research specialist at the Institute for Labor Studies. ISSUE 3 Pursuing National Interest through the GFMD: Experiences and Policy Options for DOLE

INSTITUTE FOR LABOR STUDIES

Making more extensive consultations with civil society partners Complementing technical resources with manpower, equipment and other resources Building the scenario for participation where the Philip pines is no longer hosting the Meeting Building in an assessment mechanism within the Task Force that checks achievements in the GFMD 5. Investing on attendance to preparatory meetings of the Steering Group and Friends of the Forum to exert influence on the discussions and engage potential partners even before the next Meeting Making substantive contributions to background pa pers being prepared and circulated so as to continually pose the interests of country as a developing/ sending country Preparing to share information to the Forum of the prog ress made from the practical cooperation initiated in the previous Meetings Organizing the Philippine Delegation to the GFMD stra tegically Considering possible means by which the policy of pro tection in migration for the Philippines can be trans formed as a policy of development

Information. Ideas. Insights.

a series of seven inter-agency consultation meetings, and in one-on-one meetings per agency. The Contributions were enriched substance-wise during interface meetings with local civil society partners concerned in migration and development, attending meetings of the GFMD Steering Group and Friends of the Forum, and during the attendance at international and local build-up events leading to the GFMD. The preparations in the substantive area resulted to the preparation of Contributions for the seven Roundtable Sessions and a position for the Special Session on the Future of the Forum. A Philippine delegation composed of eight session participants with eight note takers attended the sessions. Managing the Bilateral Events. The bilateral events, termed as Fruits of the Forum Mission involved extensive coordination, crucial in forging initial bilateral talks and in launching actual cooperation engagements with other governments. Preparations resulted to Side Meetings with France, Spain, Israel, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, GCC, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Mali, Nigeria, and New Zealand on the sidelines of the GFMD. A press conference launching the UAE Pilot Project on Labor Mobility (between the Philippines, India and the UAE) also took place, along with meetings with international organizations (IOM and ILO), an Italian NGO; and socials with Qatar, ASEAN plus 3, and other foreign ministers. The administrative preparations involved the mobilization of resources sourced locally and from the funds of the Forum, providing services in the documentation of inputs for the Substantive Group, preparation of kits for the Delegates, securing access for the Delegation and Task Force members, and providing other assistance to the Philippine Delegates during the Meeting. The Post-Meeting activities are key in appreciating the potential addition of the GFMD in the arsenal of the Philippines in actively pursuing fair labor markets. It included: checking accomplishments against the drawn action plan and attempts to plot the next steps; assessing gains in the Forum in internal meetings within the DOLE and in a fellowship among government agencies; immediate reporting made to the civil society; continuing engagement with all agency and civil society partners. Other success-contributing factors during the 2nd GFMD Meeting could be attributed to the leadership qualities of those who took the helm of the Philippine participation, capacity of the support group for the Task Force to provide administrative and technical services, support from social partners, and resources made available to the Task Force.

ter-Agency Task Force. The DOLE Global Forum on Migration and Development Task Force (DOLE-GFTF) engaged its partners in government and the civil society with goals in three areas: substantive, administrative and bilateral events. Drawing the Action Plan. From a long list of To-do Things at the preparatory stage, an action plan that sought to advance the national interest in the GFMD was drawn. It served as an internal working document, first, by emphasizing the significance of the GFMD in: identifying and pursuing specific migration and development related interests; highlighting best practices and achievements while soliciting support from potential partners; creating opportunities to pursue Bilateral Agreements with specific host countries that shall secure work, social security, and legal conditions of Overseas Filipino Workers; engaging specific host countries in bilateral talks towards opening markets or addressing specific gaps in previous agreement; and calling for partnerships with destination countries to share in the workers training, education, and other human resource development enhancement activities. Second, the action plan outlined specific activities and timelines, while soliciting political and substantive support from officials within DOLE and other government agencies and civil society partners. Translating the National Interest into Contributions to the Forum was achieved by soliciting written submissions from agencies, processed in a national inter-agency workshop, further developed in

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ISSUE 3 Prusuing National Interest through the GFMD: Experiences and Policy Options for DOLE