NADI, Fiji – The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU), in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), is currently hosting the first regional training workshop on Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements (BLMAs) in Nadi, Fiji. The workshop, which runs from 20-24 May 2024, aims to build the capacity of Pacific government focal points in the design, negotiation, implementation, and monitoring of BLMAs.

Pacific officials at the first regional training workshop on Bilateral Labour Migration Agreements in Nadi, Fiji.

BLMAs have gained prominence as tools to facilitate labour mobility and play an important role in ensuring that the rights of migrant workers are protected. But in practice, their design, content, monitoring, and implementation can restrict their potential impact. During this five-day training workshop, participants will be trained by international experts on how to address these constraints, drawing on regional and international best practices.

A highlight of the workshop is targeted training on negotiation skills including role-play simulations aimed at empowering officials with the skills to better negotiate labour mobility agreements that promote their interests particularly in situations of unequal power relations. The workshop aims to culminate in the development of a Pacific-specific matrix to assist officials in the design, implementation and monitoring of Bilateral Labour Migration Instruments including existing labour mobility MOUs.

"This regional workshop is a much-needed capacity building initiative for Vanuatu as we are currently reviewing our Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and are looking to also review our Inter-Agency Understanding (IAU) for the New Zealand Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE). This being the first regional training of its kind has addressed key capacity constraints that we face in terms of negotiating, implementing and effectively monitoring bilateral labour mobility agreements and we are therefore very grateful to PPIU, ILO and IOM for this very valuable opportunity," said Ms. Leisei Jimmy, Labour Mobility Manager for Vanuatu.

"As the CEO for the Niue Chamber of Commerce, this has been an enlightening valuable opportunity which has stressed the importance of inclusivity in the design, implementation, and monitoring of our labour mobility agreements. With the help of PACER Plus, we will be launching labour mobility pilots in the next months, and we look forward to using what we have been learning this week to ensuring that our bilateral labour agreement, including for this pilot, are rights-based and conducive to delivering the interests of both Niue and other Pacific labour sending countries," said Ms. Catherine Papani, CEO of the Niue Chamber of Commerce.

A highlight of the workshop is targeted training on negotiation skills aimed at empowering officials with the skills to better negotiate labour mobility agreements.

The PPIU is particularly grateful to the ILO and the IOM for their invaluable support in the successful delivery of this first regional workshop.

"This regional workshop is a true testament to the value of cooperation and collaboration amongst regional stakeholders. The partnership with ILO, ITC-ILO, and IOM, through their Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MMPTF), has allowed Pacific officials the opportunity to be trained by international experts and access internationally tested tools that will improve labour mobility good governance and the development of effective bilateral labour migration instruments for the Pacific. We look forward to continuing this level of collaboration into the future as we collaborate to increase the benefits of labour mobility for the Pacific," said Dr. Alisi Kautoke Holani, PPIU's Labour Mobility Specialist.

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