Events

Overview

Halo olgeta! Welcome to the Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) 2023. The 2023 PLMAM is hosted by the Government of Vanuatu and will take place from 20-24 November at the Warwick Le-Lagon Resort & Spa in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

The PLMAM is provided in the PACER Plus Arrangement on Labour Mobility as a mechanism to advance regional labour mobility cooperation. The theme for PLMAM 2023 is "Harnessing the Development Benefits of Labour Mobility". It aims to bring together key labour mobility stakeholders in the Pacific, including workers, employers, officials from labour sending and labour receiving countries, unions and regional organisations to collaboratively determine measures to enhance the development benefits of labour mobility for the Pacific. A highlight of PLMAM 2023 is the first ever regional workshop on sustainable reintegration which will be held on 20-21 November.

IMPORTANT: You are welcome to view the 2023 PLMAM proceedings live by clicking on the 'Register Now' button highlighted in orange below. Once your registration is successful, you will be able to view Days 1, 2, and 4 only of the 2023 PLMAM. Registration closes on 21 October 2023.

Registration is now CLOSED

We look forward to seeing you at PLMAM 2023!

Day 1

Monday, 20 November 2023
Regional Workshop on Sustainable Reintegration A regional workshop to discuss sustainable reintegration and to determine a regional way forward for the Pacific
Day 1	Chair: Soonhwa Yi, Senior Economist, World Bank
8:00 am - 8:30 am	Registrations
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Opening Ceremony Hosted by Government of Vanuatu
9:00 am - 9:30 am	Morning Tea
9:30 am - 10:00 am	Introduction of the Regional Workshop on Sustainable Reintegration Workshop and the World Development Report 2023 Chair: Soonhwa Yi, Senior Economist, World Bank
10:00 am - 10:30 am	Session 1: Migration - Development Nexus Reintegration and Development in Labour Sending Countries Piyasiri Wickramasekara Vice President Global Migration Policy Association Q & A
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Session 2: Defining Sustainable Reintegration Integrated approach to Sustainable Reintegration Jacqueline Weekers Chief of Mission Australia and Coordinator for New Zealand and the Pacific International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Q & A
11:00 am - 12:00 pm	Session 3: Skills Development generating net-skills gains for labour sending countries The Role of National Employment Policies Christian Viegelahn Officer in Charge and Employment Specialist ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries Opportunities for the Pacific and Timor Leste Tim Harbison Skills for Employment & Training Director Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) Q & A
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm	Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm	Session 4: Entrepreneurship and small business investments by workers, their households, and local communities Entrepreneurship and small business development to generate sustainable livelihoods and economic growth in labour sending countries Helen Kirsch Technical Officer ILO Opportunities for the Pacific and Timor Leste Howard Politini Board Chair Pacific Island Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO) Howard Aru General Manager Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Q & A
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm	Session 5: Employment and labour market integration of returning workers Labour market integration of returning workers and skills transfers for local development Nilim Baruah Regional Senior Specialist on Labour Migration ILO Asia Paciﬁc Opportunities for the Paciﬁc & Timor Leste Antoine Ravo Director Vanuatu Department of Agriculture Q & A
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm	Afternoon Tea
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm	Session 6: Savings by workers, their households, and local communities Financial inclusion and beneﬁts of saving in local ﬁnancial institutions Chris Miller World Bank Financial inclusion and benefits of saving in local financial institutions - Vanuatu experience Andrew John Manager, Financial Inclusion Reserve Bank of Vanuatu Opportunities and benefits of saving in Pacific national provident funds Richard Edwin Acting General Manager Vanuatu National Provident Fund (VNPF) Q & A
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm	Final words from Chair Closing Prayer
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Welcome Reception Hosted by the Government of Vanuatu

Day 2

Tuesday, 21 November 2023
Regional Workshop on Sustainable Reintegration A regional workshop to discuss sustainable reintegration and to determine a regional way forward for the Pacific
Day 2	Chair: Ashmita Singh, Project Coordinator, International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Opening Prayer Welcome and introduction of Day 2 programme
9:00 am - 10:30 am	Session 1: Social and Psychosocial Reintegration Social inclusion and social/psychosocial services for returning workers and their households Nissara Spence Programme Manager IOM Opportunities for the Pacific & Timor Leste Matt Withers Australian National University (ANU) Kirstie Petrou Griffith University Jeanette Tanghwa Pacific Labour Facility (PLF) Q & A
10:30 am - 10:45 am	Morning Tea
10:45 am - 11:45 am	Session 2: Regional Reintegration Initiatives V-Lab in Vanuatu Torika Kalman Programme Coordinator V-Lab Association Solomon Islands Economic Reintegration Strategy Jenny Barile Deputy Director Solomon Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs & External Trade Q & A
11:45 am - 12:30 pm	Session 3: Regional Way Forward – Lessons from ASEAN ASEAN Guidelines on Effective Return and Reintegration of Migrant Workers Nilim Baruah Regional Senior Specialist on Labour Migration ILO Asia Pacific Q & A
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:15 pm	Session 4: Regional Way Forward for the Pacific and Timor Leste Options available to the Pacific and Timor Leste Ashmita Singh Project Coordinator IOM Q & A
2:15 pm - 3:30 pm	Session 5: Regional Way Forward on Sustainable Reintegration Group activity to determine regional way forward Alisi Kautoke Holani Labour Mobility Specialist PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU)
3:30 pm - 3:45 pm	Afternoon Tea
3:45 pm - 4:15 pm	Session 6: Rapid Assessment of Labor Mobility Policy’s Implementation Arrangements in Vanuatu Establishing a conducive national policy context Philip Martin (joining virtually) Professor of Agricultural and Resources Economics UC Davis Senior World Bank Consultant
4:15 pm - 4:30 pm	Finalisation of Regional Way Forward on Sustainable Reintegration Word of Thanks Closing Prayer
5:30 pm - 6:15 pm	Fun health and fitness activity

Day 3

Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Forum Island Country Caucus A Closed Meeting for Forum Island Countries which are Signatories of the PACER Plus Arrangement on Labour Mobility PALM and RSE Employers will also be engaged in the inaugural PLMAM Employer Forum, which is a closed meeting for PALM and RSE Employers. Participants who are not in these closed meetings have a free day.
Day 3	Chair: Joe Pakoa Lui, Director for External Trade, Vanuatu Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade Co-Chair: Roy Lagolago, Head of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit
8:00 am - 8:30 am	Registrations
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Opening Procedures Welcome Remarks by Chair Adoption of Agenda
9:00 am - 9:30 am	Agenda 1: Outcomes of PLMAM 2022 Progress Update on PLMAM 2022 Outcomes Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/1: Progress Update on PLMAM 2022 Outcomes Alisi Kautoke Holani PPIU
9:30 am - 10:15 am	Agenda 2: Inclusivity of the PLMAM Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/2: Improving the Inclusivity of the PLMAM Alisi Kautoke Holani PPIU
10:15 am - 10:30 am	Morning Tea
10:30 am - 11:15 am	Agenda 3: Increasing the effectiveness of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/3: Report on the Review of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility Mathea Roorda and Rose Namoori Sinclair ALM Review Panel
11:15 am - 12:30 pm	Agenda 4: Creating an enabling environment to increase development gains from labour mobility Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/4: Defining good labour mobility governance Nilim Baruah Regional Senior Specialist on Labour Migration ISO Asia Pacific Angelica Neville Labour Mobility Officer ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm	Lunch
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm	Agenda 5: Update on labour mobility opportunities 5.1 Update on the RSE and PALM Schemes Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/5.1: Update on the RSE and PALM Schemes Alisi Kautoke Holani PPIU Jordan Duffy Pacific Labour Facility (PLF)
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm	5.2 Intra-Pacific Labour Mobility Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/5.2: Intra-Pacific labour mobility to Cook Islands and Niue Chere Arthur Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Immigration Morgan Mougavalu Niue Ministry of Finance & Planning
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm	Afternoon Tea
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm	Agenda 6: Regional labour mobility initiatives Presentation PLMAM-23/6: Update on the Regional Labour Mobility Strategy Noah Patrick Kouback Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm	Other Matters Final Words from the Chair Closing Prayer

PLMAM 2023 Employer Forum (Closed forum for RSE & PALM Employers)
The PLMAM Employer Forum is the first integrated dialogue for both RSE and PALM employers. It will be a closed forum for employers to enable them to effectively discuss priority issues from an employer perspective.
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Registrations
9:00 am - 9:30 am	PLMAM 2023 Employer Forum Objectives and Agenda Introductions; forum objectives, agenda, and ground rules
9:30 am - 10:30 am	Mitigation of Pacific-facing risks to Labour Mobility Schemes - RSE and PALM Break out session for RSE and PALM employers to separately discuss Pacific-facing risks to the success of their respective schemes and proposed mitigation measures by employers
10:30 am - 12:30 pm	Mitigation of Pacific-facing risks to Labour Mobility Schemes - Collective Way Forward Presentations by nominated RSE and PALM representatives on identified Pacific-facing risks and proposed mitigation measures by employers Consideration and prioritisation of common measures to be agreed as a collective way forward
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm	Other Priority Issues Discussion on other priority issues (such as social impacts for workers, families and communities; worker wellbeing) and way forward
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm	Finalisation of Outcomes Statement and Closing

Day 4

Thursday, 23 November 2023
Labour Sending Unit and Approved Employer Conference A forum to discuss issues relating to worker recruitment, selection, education, mobilisation, and welfare and to determine regional solutions to address these issues
Day 4	Chair: Angelica Neville, Labour Mobility Officer, ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Registrations
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Opening Formalities Opening Prayer Welcome and introduction of the programme
9:15 am - 10:15 am	Session 1: Understanding the social impacts of Pacific labour mobility The Pacific Labour Mobility Survey: Findings from the First Wave Dung Doan Social Protection Economist World Bank The Safety & Wellbeing of Pacific workers in Australia Judy Putt Senior Research Fellow ANU Lindy Kanan PhD Candidate University of the Sunshine Coast Q & A
10:15 am - 10:30 am	Morning Tea
10:30 am - 12:30 pm	Session 2: Perspectives on Social Impacts and Worker Welfare Management Worker perspectives Worker representatives Vanuatu Employer perspectives RSE & PALM Employer representative Union perspectives Manufolau Daniel Urai President Pacific Island Council of Trade Unions (PICTU) Q & A
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 2:45 pm	Session 3: Management of social impacts of labour mobility in the Pacific Famili i Redi Programme IOM, World Vision, Famili i Redi Q & A
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm	Afternoon Tea
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm	Session 4: Priorities for FY2024/25 Group activity to determine priorities for FY2024/25 Facilitated by Alisi Kautoke Holani, Labour Mobility Specialist, PPIU
4:30 pm - 4:45 pm	Final Words from the Chair Closing Prayer
5:30 pm - 6:45 pm	Fun health and fitness activity

Day 5

Friday, 24 November 2023
Pacific Labour Mobility Dialogue The final plenary for PLMAM 2023. It is an official meeting of all labour sending and receiving countries to discuss and agree on strategic priorities required under the Arrangement on Labour Mobility and to approve the outcomes from the Regional Sustainable Reintegration Workshop and the LSU & Employer Conference. *All PLMAM 2023 participants are invited to attend.*
Day 5	Chair: Murielle Metsan, Commissioner for Labour, Department of Labour and Employment Services, Vanuatu Co-Chair: Roy Lagolago, Head of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit
8:00 am - 8:30 am	Registrations
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Opening Procedures Welcome Remarks by Chair Adoption of Agenda
9:00 am - 9:30 am	Agenda 1: Outcomes of PLMAM 2022 Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/1: Progress Update on PLMAM 2022 Outcomes Alisi Kautoke Holani PPIU
9:30 am - 10:15 am	Agenda 2: Inclusivity of the PLMAM Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/2: Improving the Inclusivity of the PLMAM Alisi Kautoke Holani PPIU
10:15 am - 10:30 am	Morning Tea
10:30 am - 11:15 am	Agenda 3: Increasing the effectiveness of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/3: Report on the Review of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility Mathea Roorda and Rose Namoori Sinclair ALM Review Panel
11:15 am - 12:30 pm	Agenda 4: Creating an enabling environment to increase development gains from labour mobility Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/4: Defining good labour mobility governance Nilim Baruah ILO Asia Pacific Angelica Neville ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm	Lunch
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm	Agenda 5: Update on labour mobility opportunities 5.1 Update on the RSE and PALM Schemes Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/5.1.1: Update on the RSE Scheme New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/5.1.2: Update on the PALM Scheme Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade & Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Jordan Duffy Pacific Labour Facility (PLF)
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm	5.2 Intra-Pacific Labour Mobility Discussion Paper PLMAM-23/5.2: Intra-Pacific labour mobility to Cook Islands and Niue Chere Arthur Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Immigration Morgan Mougavalu Niue Ministry of Finance & Planning
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm	Afternoon Tea
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm	Agenda 6: Regional labour mobility initiatives Presentation PLMAM-23/6: Update on the Regional Labour Mobility Strategy Noah Patrick Kouback Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm	Agenda 7: Recommendations from the Regional Workshop on Sustainable Reintegration and LSU & AE Conference Presentations by Chairs of the Regional Sustainable Reintegration Workshop and the LSU & AE Conference
4:30 pm - 4:45 pm	Agenda 8: Adoption of Host Country and tentative dates for PLMAM 2024
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm	Agenda 9: Other Matters Procedures for the development of the Outcomes Document for PLMAM 2023
5:00 pm - 5:15 pm	Final Words from the Chair Closing of PLMAM 2023
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm	Closing Reception Hosted by the PPIU

Accom/Travel Advisory

Accommodation	Distance from PLMAM Venue	Star Rating	Room Rating (AUD/Night)	Website
Warwick Le Lagon Resort & Spa	PLMAM 2023 Meeting Venue	4	237-584	Warwick Le Lagon
Nasama Resort	2kms	4	273 - 407	Nasama Resort
Breakas Beach Resort	2.6kms	4.3	247 483	Breakas Beach Resort
Kaiviti Motel	2.6kms	3	134 - 299	Kaiviti Motel
The Melanesian	2.9kms	3.7	132 - 285	The Melanesian
Mariner Apartments	3.0kms	4	409 - 511	Mariner Apartments
The Iririki Island Resort	3.1kms	4.3	433 – 1,331	The Iririki Island Resort
Ramada Resort by Wyndham	3.2kms	5	223 - 966	Ramada Resort by Wyndham
The Grand Hotel & Casino	3.3kms	4	213 - 317	The Grand Hotel & Casino
Hotel Olympic	4.1kms	3	99 – 175	Olympic Hotel
Moorings Hotel	5.9kms	2	132 - 388	Mooring Hotel
Chantilly’s on the Bay	6kms	4	254 - 318	Chantilly's On the Bay
Erakor Island Resort & Spa	12.5kms	4	292 - 525	Erakor Island Resort & Spa

For more information, click on the website hyperlinks provided or contact the Vanuatu Tourism Office at [E-Mail not displayed] (Angelina Andrews).

Entry Requirements for Vanuatu

Some countries may be required to apply for a visa to enter Vanuatu. Please click here to check if your country is exempted or not.

For countries which are exempt, you will be issued a visa upon arrival for stays up to 120 days. You are required to have a confirmed onward or return ticket and a passport valid for six months beyond intended stay.

Visitors from countries that are not exempted are required to apply for a visa from the appropriate consulate or embassy in your country of residence.

There are no health requirements or restrictions for entry into Vanuatu.