Empowering Families, Transforming Lives
The Famili i Redi Journey of Cleef Aru In the heart of Port Vila, Vanuatu, Cleef Aru, a 44-year-old father of two embarked on a transformative journey that reshaped not just his life but his entire family’s future. Like many Ni-Vanuatu, Cleef ventured abroad as a seasonal worker, seeking opportunities to provide for his young family. Like many young fathers, Cleef was confronted by the pressures to provide for his young family amidst rising cost of living at home yet restrained by the limited employment opportunities available to him. Labour mobility provided a rare opportunity for Cleef to overcome these constraints and to create a better future for his family. Prior to working overseas, Cleef earned an average of USD$162 fortnightly as a mechanic. On his farm job in Australia on his first trip overseas, working both as a mechanic, driver and grapefruit picker, Cleef earned USD$1,248 per fortnight, almost seven times more than his income at home. The monetary opportunities enticed Cleef to also encourage his wife Seri Kalotiti to join him in Australia, with the hope that together they can double their earnings to meet social obligations at home and create a better life for their young family. Cleef Aru and his wife, Seri Kalotiti, ventured abroad as seasonal workers, seeking opportunities to provide for their young family. But like all good things, there is also a downside to Cleef’s labour mobility story. Before his wife joined him in Australia, Cleef faced the harsh realities of his new life in a foreign environment, away from his family and his familiar way of living. Distance strained their family bonds, and the challenges of settling into a new environment took a toll on his well-being. Cleef began to turn to alcohol and drugs. “This affected my relationship with my wife and children,” he confessed, reflecting on the difficulties he encountered. After consecutive trips overseas and returning to Vanuatu with no progress on plans, Cleef realised that change was imperative. It was then that he and his wife had the chance to attend a Famili i Redi workshop, a pioneering program crafted by the World Vision Vanuatu, International Organisation for Migration, the Vanuatu Department of Labour and with seasonal workers and their families. This initiative aims to provide holistic tools, skills and strategies for labour migrants and their intimate partners, including modules on what to expect from overseas work, healthy relationships, nutrition, gender-based violence prevention and family financial management, which encompasses budgeting, saving, reducing the cost of remittance transfers and entrepreneurship upon reintegration in Vanuatu. Utilising what they had learnt from the Famili i Redi workshop, Cleef and Seri embarked on a transformative journey. They participated in training sessions that not only empowered them with valuable life skills but also helped them envision a brighter future. Together, they set ambitious long-term goals which included constructing a family home, starting a bakery business, investing in a fishing boat, and acquiring a truck. Driven by determination and newfound knowledge, Cleef made significant lifestyle changes. He relinquished alcohol and cigarettes, focusing on his family’s well-being and the pursuit of their goals. Both Seri and Cleef agreed that she will continue her work in Australia while Cleef managed their projects and cared for their children back home. Cleef Aru proudly smiles as he stands in front of his house which is currently under construction. Today, they stand proudly halfway through building their dream home – a testament to their unwavering dedication. The family’s bakery business has flourished, with Cleef’s freshly baked bread becoming a local favourite in Port Vila and beyond. The couple even acquired a van, enabling them to transport their baked goods to communities at each end of Efate Island. “Beyond accomplishing our family’s long-term goals, the Famili i Redi program helped my wife and I communicate better. In doing so, this has helped our relationship, especially with my wife working abroad,” shared Cleef, highlighting the impact Famili i Redi had on their communication and connection. As Jimmy Kawiel, Deputy Portfolio Manager, Climate and Resilience Livelihoods Portfolio expressed, “Cleef’s journey exemplifies the potential for positive change when families are equipped with the right tools and support. We are committed to empowering more families like Cleef’s, ensuring their dreams become reality.” Cleef Aru’s story is true for many labour mobility workers. Many started off with bright dreams and high hopes but only to be toppled by the harsh realities of life in a new environment, away from family and the familiarities of home. Initiatives such as Famili i Redi are critical in providing the necessary lifeline for workers and their families. The family’s bakery business has flourished, with Cleef’s freshly baked bread becoming a local favourite in Port Vila and beyond. Cleef’s labour mobility journey highlights the significance of the employment opportunities offered by labour mobility schemes but that the benefits of these opportunities can be overshadowed by the challenges of life away from home. These challenges do not discount or devalue the potential benefits of labour mobility, they only accentuate the need for lifelines to support workers and their families overcome these trials. Famili i Redi is a true example of the benefits of these lifelines to enable workers and their families to reap the full benefits of labour mobility. Thanks to the vision and dedication of initiatives like Famili i Redi, lives are transformed, families are strengthened, and communities thrive, one empowered family at a time. As the slogan for the training says: it’s not an individual journey but a family journey. More articles like this one
PACER Plus Regional Workshop on harnessing Pacific labour for sustainable economic development in the Pacific
APIA, Samoa – The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) Implementation Unit is set to host a regional workshop on Movement of Natural Persons and Labour Mobility in Apia, Samoa, from 11-14 September 2023. The “PACER Plus Regional Workshop on Movement of Natural Persons and Labour Mobility” aims to enhance understanding and explore the interconnections between Trade in Services and the Arrangement on Labour Mobility to maximise development benefits for PACER Plus parties. Experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu met at the PACER Plus Implementation Unit in Apia, Samoa today for the four-day regional workshop. PACER Plus, a unique development-centered trade agreement, acknowledges the significance of human capital movement in fostering economic integration and sustainable development. The Movement of Natural Persons (MNP) Chapter of the agreement specifically focuses on facilitating the movement of service providers to promote services trade while excluding measures related to citizenship, residence, permanent employment, or access to foreign employment markets. The Arrangement on Labour Mobility (ALM) is a non-legally binding annex to the Agreement, which provides a framework for regional labour mobility cooperation to foster increased development benefits for participating countries. “PACER Plus recognises the potential of human capital mobility to drive regional development,” states Roy Lagolago, Head of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit. “This workshop provides a unique platform to address knowledge gaps and foster cooperation among PACER Plus parties in the realms of MNP and labour mobility, setting the stage for a more robust and interconnected regional trade ecosystem.” The objectives of the PACER Plus Regional Workshop on Movement of Natural Persons and Labour Mobility are as follows: Capacity building for government officials: Offer a focused capacity building programme for Pacific trade and labour mobility officials on the PACER Plus Movement of Natural Persons Chapter and Arrangement on Labour Mobility to understand how these components can be better utilised to support sustainable economic development in their countries. National Consultations for the Review of the Arrangement on Labour Mobility: Facilitate national consultations to gather valuable input for the ALM Review. The workshop promises to be a pivotal event in the ongoing efforts to maximise the benefits of PACER Plus for the Pacific. It will bring together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, to foster a deeper understanding of the movement of natural persons and labour mobility, ultimately contributing to the region’s economic growth and sustainable development. For more information on the four-day workshop, please click here. -END- More articles like this one
Enhancing Pacific Labour Mobility: Pacific-Australia-New Zealand Visa Pathways Study
APIA, Samoa –The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU) has recently concluded a comprehensive study to identify alternative visa pathways that can facilitate the movement of semi-skilled and skilled Pacific workers to Australia and New Zealand. The PACER Plus Agreement recognises the importance of the movement of people to regional economic integration and sustainable development in the Pacific. The Movement of Natural Persons (MNP) Chapter covers the movement of semi-skilled and skilled service providers to facilitate services trade, and the Arrangement on Labour Mobility (ALM), a non-legally binding annex to the PACER Plus Agreement. The ALM provides a framework for regional cooperation to facilitate the movement of Pacific workers to the territories of other participating countries for temporary employment. Currently, the predominant modality for Pacific labour mobility to Australia and New Zealand is the New Zealand Recognised Employer (RSE) and the Australian Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) schemes. These schemes are largely focused on low-skilled employment in the Australian and New Zealand horticulture and meat works industries. Pacific countries are also interested in understanding alternative business and temporary employment pathways that can increase development outcomes for their countries. For this reason, the PPIU commissioned the study to capture information on eligibility conditions, verify potential opportunities, understand access constraints, and propose solutions to increase utilisation of these visa pathways by Pacific workers and businesses. For Australia, the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) (subclass 482) visa is the leading temporary work visa. From 2011-12 to 2021-22, only 1,848 TSS workers came from the Pacific, which is exceptionally low in comparison with the top countries for the TSS. The vast majority of the Pacific workers entering Australia on the TSS visa have been from Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG), with over 800 visas granted to workers from each country. The top sponsoring industries for Pacific workers on the TSS were ‘Mining’, ‘Other Services’, ‘Professional, Scientific and Technical’, ‘Health Care and Social Assistance’, ‘Manufacturing’, and ‘Retail Trade’. There has been a reduction in the overall use of this visa by Pacific workers over time. Australia Business Visitor visas granted to people from Pacific countries from 2012-13 to 2022-23 (to 31 March). Similarly, the primary temporary worker visa for New Zealand is the Accredited Employer Worker Visa (AEWV) and its predecessor visas that the AEWV subsumed in 2022. From 2013 to 2022, 22,803 workers from Pacific countries were granted an AEWV or one of its predecessor visas. This usage is exceptionally higher than the usage of the Australian TSS visa by Pacific workers and has increased over time, but this difference is driven by the use of AEWV by Fijian citizens, who make up 83.9 per cent of visa holders. The most common occupations taken up by Pacific AEWV visa holders were ‘Road and Rail Drivers’, ‘Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers’, ‘Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers’, ‘Construction Trades Workers’, and ‘Carers and Aides’. In addition to temporary work visas, Pacific businesspeople can temporarily travel to Australia and New Zealand for limited business purposes on business visas. Between 2012-13 and 2022-23 (until 31 March), Australia granted 72,404 business visitor visas to people from the Pacific. Businesspeople from PNG and Fiji have made the most use of this visa, with 28,474 and 18,352 visits respectively. For New Zealand, 18,378 business visas were issued to Pacific businesspeople between 2013 and 2022. While Pacific business visitors to NZ are significantly lower than Australia, business visitors to New Zealand have been relatively consistent up until 2020. Similar to Australia, most of these visitors came from Fiji (9,684 visits) and PNG (3,033 visits). The study identified that the constraints currently limiting Pacific access to the temporary employment and business visitor visas cover both systemic constraints and visa-specific constraints. A number of recommendations were provided to address these constraints. To read the full report titled “Mapping of Visa Pathways for Mode 4 and Semi-Skilled/Skilled Labour Mobility to Australia and New Zealand”, please refer to www.pacerplus.org or click here. -END- More articles like this one
Report on Constraints and Opportunities in Remittance Data Collection in the Pacific
APIA, Samoa – The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is pleased to release the report titled “Constraints and Opportunities in Pacific Remittance Data Collection: Study on Remittances Data and Measurement Constraints in Pacific Labour Sending Countries”. This comprehensive research report sheds light on the remittance landscape in three case study countries, namely Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tonga. It provides valuable recommendations for enhancing remittance data collection and analysis in the Pacific, aiming to inform policy decisions and support sustainable development in the region. The report underscores the importance of remittances for Pacific labour sending countries. For many of these countries, the level of remittances received exceeds the amount of foreign direct investment (FDI), export receipts, portfolio flows from financial markets, and even foreign aid. In Tonga for example, remittances in 2020 accounted for 39% of its Gross Domestic Product, while export receipts accounted for only 19%, FDI only 9%, and official overseas aid was less than half the value of remittances. Remittance flows have also been found to be more resilient during times of economic downturn including during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and have provided an important ‘safety valve’ to cushion the impact on household incomes and therefore having a direct impact on poverty alleviation. Measuring the volume of remittance flows from labour mobility workers to their Pacific countries of origin is not without its challenges. Pacific labour sending countries have raised concerns on the quality and accuracy of remittances data. To address these concerns, the PPIU commissioned the study to identify the key constraints to remittances data collection and analysis and to determine measures for addressing these constraints. According to the report, the key constraints to remittances data collection and analysis in the region include: Lack of reliable and comprehensive data on remittances in some countries, with insufficient disaggregation of data regarding the sender of remittances. Limited capacity of central banks to collect, analyse, and report on remittance data effectively. Dependence on money transfer operators (MTOs) for data collection resulting in inconsistent data reporting practices. Lack of coordination and collaboration among stakeholders involved in remittance data collection and analysis hampers efforts to obtain accurate and timely data. Despite these challenges, the report identifies several opportunities to improve remittance data collection and analysis in Pacific countries. These opportunities include: Support from international agencies: International agencies offer technical assistance, funding for surveys, collaboration meetings, and research reports and recommendations. Technological advancements: Innovations such as mobile wallets present new avenues for data disaggregation in remittance analysis. Policy interest: Policymakers in Pacific countries exhibit a strong interest in utilising remittances as a tool for economic development and poverty reduction. To address the constraints and capitalise on the opportunities, the report puts forth a number of recommendations which will frame the work that the PPIU will deliver on remittances in the region. To read the full report, please refer to www.pacerplus.org or click here. -END- More articles like this one
PACER Plus Supports Kiribati in Developing Entrepreneurship Curriculum for Labour Mobility Workers
TARAWA, Kiribati – PACER Plus, through the Arrangement on Labour Mobility, assisted Kiribati in developing an Entrepreneurship Curriculum to develop the entrepreneurial skills of workers and their households and ultimately increase the economic development impact of labour mobility in Kiribati. The PACER Plus Implementation Unit’s (PPIU) labour mobility work programme seeks to enhance the development benefits of labour mobility for participating countries, particularly Pacific PACER Plus Parties. One of the ways by which labour mobility can be leveraged for sustainable economic development in the Pacific is through economic reintegration including through entrepreneurship and business investments by labour mobility workers, their households, and local communities. In recognition of this development potential, the government of Kiribati requested the support of the PPIU to develop an entrepreneurship training curriculum and training of trainers programme to help to develop the entrepreneurial skills of i-Kiribati labour mobility workers and their families. PACER Plus developed an entrepreneurship training curriculum and training of trainers programme to help develop the entrepreneurial skills of i-Kiribati labour mobility workers and their families. “Our labour mobility workers are an important development dividend for Kiribati and one of the ways we can harness this dividend is through encouraging entrepreneurship and business investments. Many workers and their households are interested in business investments but lack entrepreneurial skills. This curriculum is part of our initiatives to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship amongst our workers and their families, enabling them to maximise the benefits of labour mobility and contribute to Kiribati’s economic growth,” said Mr. Rui Tabutoa, Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives in Kiribati. The curriculum development and training of trainers programme was completed in March of this year and the first training session was delivered in May by trainers from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, who were trained in the PPIU-funded Training of Trainers Programme. This is the beginning of a series of trainings that will empower Kiribati workers with the valuable entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to enhance their economic prospects and create sustainable businesses. “The entrepreneurship training modules for Kiribati is an important part of the PPIU’s work to support economic reintegration programmes that can harness the development benefits of labour mobility for Pacific sending countries. The curriculum covers various aspects of entrepreneurship, including business planning, financial management, marketing strategies and risk management,” said Dr Alisi Holani, PACER Plus Labour Mobility Specialist. “We are pleased to see the first training being delivered by trainers that were trained in our Training of Trainers programme and we will continue to monitor so as to ensure that anticipated outcomes are delivered for Kiribati,” she added. PACER Plus Implementation Unit remains committed to supporting Kiribati’s efforts in promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing economic opportunities for her people. This initiative reflects the shared vision of PACER Plus and the Government of Kiribati to harness the potential of labour mobility and empower Pacific peoples to build prosperous and sustainable livelihoods. -END- More articles like this one
Tonga Launches Labour Mobility Supply Management Strategy
NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – The Tongan Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku has launched the Tonga Labour Mobility Supply Management Strategy (TLMSMS) today, funded by the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus). The strategy aims to develop a well-managed, coordinated labour mobility supply management programme that is equitable, inclusive, can broaden the range of appropriate and aligned skills for both domestic and international supply. The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of labour mobility as a key component of Tonga’s long-term development strategy, saying: “Labour mobility provides an important, viable development opportunity for Tonga to generate positive impacts for our socio-economic development. It is therefore essential to embed labour mobility as a key component of Tonga’s long-term development strategy.” Tonga has been participating in the Australian and New Zealand labour mobility schemes since their inception in 2007 for New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, 2012 for Australia’s Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP), and 2018 for the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS). Tonga has consistently been one of the three main Pacific labour supply countries. Tongan men have predominantly been recruited for seasonal work in Australia and New Zealand, with Tongan women accounting for around 13 per cent of SWP and RSE visa grants in recent years. The TLMSMS aims to address the labour mobility supply challenges faced by Tonga as demand for Pacific labour is expected to increase significantly over the next five years. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme is expected to increase from its present 35,000 workers to almost 50,000 by 2025-26, while New Zealand’s labour mobility programmes are expanding to new sectors including construction and infrastructure, meat and seafood processing, the care workforce, and tourism and hospitality. Head of PACER Plus Implementation Unit, Mr. Roy Lagolago, said: “Labour mobility is a potential development vehicle for Pacific labour sending countries such as Tonga but optimising these benefits requires conducive policies and strategies to balance the costs and benefits for the country. The Tonga Labour Mobility Supply Management Strategy has been developed through evidence-based approaches to help increase Tonga’s development gains from labour mobility and contribute to the country’s sustainable economic development.” The TLMSMS was jointly conducted by labour mobility experts and officials from Tonga, New Zealand, and Australia working collectively to ensure an evidence-based approach to the findings. The TLMSMS has identified a range of skill shortages and labour shortages across the domestic market, particularly for medium to high-skilled professionals, trades, construction areas, and specific semi-skilled occupations. The Tonga 2021 Census of Population and Housing identified over 25 per cent of Tongan households have remittances from labour mobility workers as their main source of income. Temporary labour mobility remittances from Tongans working on SWP and RSE programmes were much higher than for any other labour-supplying country, with an estimated average of US$4,108 (TOP$9,545) sent per working season per person. The TLMSMS identified that the development challenge for Tonga is not a labour shortage but a skills shortage. This is largely due to the impact of permanent migration, a serious under-skilling of the work force, with lack of sufficient educational and vocational options, and labour mobility selection processes which allow over-skilled Tongans to take low-skilled jobs. Informed by evidence from the labour market data analysis, the TLMSMS provides an action plan for the next three years which will essentially provide a roadmap for Tonga’s management of its labour mobility supply. The key focus areas in the roadmap are improved labour mobility governance, improved labour mobility worker selection, targeted reintegration programmes, skills development to increase domestic skills supply and generate net-skills gains for Tonga, private sector engagement and labour market data management and intelligence programme. Tonga’s Ministry of Trade and Economic Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Education and Statistics Department will lead the implementation of the Strategy and are required to submit an annual progress update to cabinet. The Governments of Australia and New Zealand both expressed their support of the Strategy and their commitment to the implementation of the action plan. -END- More articles like this one
Economic and social impact of labour mobility in Vanuatu
Converting the negatives to positives: Vanuatu Strengthening Seasonal Workers Family Programme (SSFWP) One of the downsides to labour mobility is the negative social impacts on families of workers left behind in their home countries. As Pacific labour mobility programmes are largely dominated by men, the wives are often required to manage the households and take on the roles of both mother and father while their husbands are abroad. Peter Bumseng was one of the first 45 Vanuatu workers to participate in the New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. He has participated in the program every year since, and in 2011 he and his wife Regina, established the Strengthening Seasonal Worker Family Program in Vanuatu. In an interview with the Australian National University Development Policy Centre, Mr. Bumseng stated: “It started with my wife who took the families once a month, just on social occasions, like taking a picnic. I found this was helpful in New Zealand, as when the men know their families are happy and being looked after, they perform to the best of their ability in a good working environment. This is how we started and came up with some ideas and programs to look after the families. We know we can only move ahead if the process is right, if the families and communities are right.” The SSFWP is essentially a localised support group for the spouses of the workers. It started with five women engaging in monthly meetings at Peter and Regina’s home, with Regina regularly checking on workers’ spouses to ensure they had support. Peter and Regina would monitor the wellbeing of the workers and their spouses, and when issues arose, they would each provide targeted support to the workers and families involved including through house visits. Since 2011, the SSWPF has significantly grown in membership. Monthly activities continue to bring together families to support each other and share their experiences. The program now also provides new programmes focusing on social, educational, and spiritual support which are fundamental to helping workers and their families cope with the separation and the potential problems associated. The SSWFP also provides counselling programmes for workers and their spouses and have internally developed solutions to address social problems amongst the members. The activities of the SSWFP are self-funded through fundraising activities by the workers and their spouses in Vanuatu. The workers in New Zealand set up a Christian reggae band to raise funds through concerts. The spouses also work together to raise funds through selling food, producing local arts and crafts, and sewing items for tourist and local markets. The proceeds have helped the set-up of a rotation of money scheme where each household is given VT15,000 (AUD189) in their fortnightly meetings. They have also initiated a loan scheme for workers and their families who have set up new businesses. The SSFWP highlights the importance of localised support groups to addressing the negative social impacts of labour mobility. Peter believes that the programme can be replicated in other countries as the challenges are similar. It only takes the commitment of champions such as Peter and his wife to convert the negatives to positive outcomes for the workers and their families. More articles like this one
PACER Plus an opportunity for regenerative development, trade, and investment in Vanuatu
PORT VILA, Vanuatu – Vanuatu has taken a major step to boost its economy and improve the livelihood of its people by ratifying the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus. PACER Plus, a unique development-centered trade and investment agreement between eight Pacific Island Countries and Australia and New Zealand, aims to reduce barriers to trade and investment, and promote economic development and prosperity in the region. Vanuatu’s ratification of PACER Plus marks a major milestone in the country’s commitment to trade and economic development. The agreement is expected to bring significant economic benefits to Vanuatu’s people and businesses but will require a change of mindset and a desire to change the way trade is implemented. It will reduce tariffs on goods traded with Australia and New Zealand, allowing for improved access to these markets. It will also provide the opportunity for Vanuatu to benefit from the services and investment markets of Australia and New Zealand, allowing for increased trade and foreign direct investment. In addition, the agreement will help Vanuatu to diversify its economy, providing a boost to its tourism and agricultural sectors. It will also provide improved access to technology and knowledge, allowing for more efficient and productive businesses. During the official launch of PACER Plus awareness workshop today, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, Hon. Jotham Napat said the benefits of ratifying PACER Plus are numerous. “It will provide better job opportunities for the people of Vanuatu. It will open new avenues of employment for our people, helping to reduce poverty and improve the overall wellbeing of our community,” said Mr. Napat. Head of PACER Plus Implementation Unit and Labour Mobility Secretariat, Roy Lagolago, welcomed Vanuatu to the PACER Plus family, the tenth country to ratify the agreement. “PACER Plus is unique compared to other trade agreements. Unique in that a dedicated secretariat – the PACER Plus Implementation Unit – has been set up to assist and support member parties to ensure the opportunities and benefits offered by PACER Plus are shared equally between all people by targeting and supporting more women, youth, and persons with disabilities to engage in trade. Ratifying PACER Plus is the easy part; the challenge for Vanuatu now is to unite and be clear on what they want to achieve to make the most of the opportunities that this agreement has to offer. We cannot continue to implement trade agreements in the same way and expect different results. That is why under PACER Plus, a different approach is required and we at the PACER Plus Implementation Unit stand ready to support Vanuatu towards that goal,” said Mr. Lagolago. Mr. Lagolago also announced that Vanuatu will be hosting the Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) this year, the first time for Vanuatu to do so. The event will bring together policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders from across the Pacific to discuss the ongoing challenges and opportunities in labour mobility. “The PLMAM is a vital platform for regional dialogue and cooperation on labour mobility, and we are delighted that Vanuatu will be hosting the event this year,” he said. The annual meeting aims to promote dialogue, collaboration, and innovation to improve the management of labour migration in the Pacific. More articles like this one
PACER Plus two years on
This month marks the second anniversary of when the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) entered into force. PACER Plus is a regional development-centered trade agreement designed to support Pacific Island countries to become more active partners in, and benefit from, regional and global trade. Ten Pacific Island Forum countries ratified and have been party to the agreement since its entry into force on 13 December 2020: Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU), which manages and delivers the work programme, was established in Apia, Samoa last year. PPIU works with Pacific parties to implement activities under PACER Plus. The agreement provides members with a framework to sustainably grow their trade in services and expand participation in key service sectors such as tourism. Sustainable tourism development is a key driver of economic recovery in the Pacific with PACER Plus enabling more transparent and predictable operation conditions for domestic and foreign service providers. With the reopening of Tonga’s international borders, PPIU supported the Tongan tourism industry with training programs on customer service, communications, COVID-19 protocols, and other priority themes identified through a training needs analysis. “The impact of the pandemic on the Tongan tourism industry has been severe but we were pleased that PACER Plus provided the much-needed training to prepare our tourism industry as we welcome the world back to Tonga,” said Ms Lorraine Kauhenga, Deputy CEO at Tonga Ministry of Trade and Economic Development. PPIU was also pleased to support Solomon Islands and Samoa with the ePhyto Capacity Building Workshop attended by exporters and industry stakeholders. The electronic phytosanitary certificate, otherwise known as ePhyto, is a tool that transitions paper phytosanitary certificate information into a digital phytosanitary certificate. This electronic exchange between countries makes trade safer, faster, and cheaper. “ePhyto promotes opportunities to improve bilateral trade in the region and other parts of the world. It will advance trade efficiency by reducing costs associated with bilateral negotiations and reduce fraudulent certificates. The ePhyto system will improve trade thereby improving incomes, creating more employment opportunities, and thereby enhancing economic development,” said Hon. La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt, Samoa’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. This year, Samoa hosted the sixth Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM) where more than 150 delegates from government, private sector, international agencies, and stakeholders in the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Timor Leste to discuss labour mobility priorities in the region. “The PLMAM is a significant medium by which we are advancing inclusive regional labour mobility cooperation in the Pacific. This meeting’s theme of ‘Reinvigorating labour mobility cooperation for development’ reiterates the opportunity for all labour mobility stakeholders to re-engage, reset and re-commit to advancing an effective level of cooperation that can enhance mutually beneficial development gains,” said Hon. Leatinu’u Wayne So’oialo, Samoa’s Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Labour. Moving forward, PPIU will focus on exports and broader trade facilitation in the agricultural sector, recovery of the tourism industry, improving cooperation under labour mobility, and implementing activities that focus on enabling PACER Plus parties to meet requirements of importing countries, implementing systems that make trade easier, and promoting export products while establishing business connections across the PACER Plus network. More articles like this one
2022 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting Outcomes
The 2022 Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting (PLMAM), held on 7 – 10 November 2022 in Apia, Samoa, reached consensus among 14 countries on agreed regional labour mobility priorities for FY2023/24. A range of initiatives were collectively identified, aimed at increasing development benefits for participating countries while addressing identified risks. The 2022 PLMAM Outcomes Document summarises the agreed decisions derived from dialogue during the four-day meeting. The PACER Plus Arrangement on Labour Mobility (ALM), which provides for the PLMAM, is a regional framework for labour mobility cooperation. The agreed outcomes from the PLMAM are regional activities that address common issues raised by participating countries and stakeholders. These agreed activities include the development of processes for worker welfare and well-being to address welfare risks in sending and receiving countries; development of a cultural framework to assist employers increase their understanding of cultural differences; development of a worker education framework to foster the systematic development of worker skills; development of a reintegration strategy to guide the integration of returning workers into local labour markets; and inclusive consultations between labour sending and receiving countries to align labour mobility opportunities with supply priorities and capacities in sending countries so as to address skills drain risks. The regional priorities inform the labour mobility annual plan of the PACER Plus Implementation Unit (PPIU) for 2023/24, where they will be implemented in collaboration with relevant regional and international organisations. The PPIU’s role in Pacific labour mobility is to facilitate the implementation of the ALM by contributing to the creation of an enabling labour mobility environment in the Pacific through effective regional cooperation. Along with the regional activities generated from the PLMAM, the PPIU also provides support at the national level to participating countries in the areas of: advancing knowledge sharing and cooperation; improving policy and institutional frameworks; identifying and promoting new opportunities including for semi-skilled and skilled labour mobility; and increasing the development benefits of labour mobility while mitigating risks such as negative social impacts and brain drain. Held on an annual basis, the PPIU, as Labour Mobility Secretariat, will continue to work with participating countries to increase the effectiveness of the PLMAM in advancing regional labour mobility cooperation through inclusive dialogues amongst all stakeholders. The 2023 PLMAM will be held in Port Vila, Vanuatu where progress against the 2022 Outcome Statement will be discussed, and new priorities and activities identified. To view the full 2022 PLMAM Outcomes Document, please click on 2022-PLMAM-Outcomes-Document. -ENDS- More articles like this one