Cross-border recruitment of workers is a key part of facilitating international labour mobility. When carried out in a fair and transparent manner, recruitment contributes to safe and orderly labour migration that benefits countries of origin and destination, employers and migrants. However, when carried out in a manner inconsistent with international standards, unethical recruitment can lead to fraudulent behaviour, labour exploitation and, at worst, forced labour conditions. 

In many migration corridors, the vulnerability experienced by migrant workers is compounded by weak regulation and non-compliance. Inconsistencies between jurisdictions, combined with unequal enforcement capacity, can lead to gaps in the protection of migrants. 

To address this issue, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) established on December 3 2020 the Global Policy Network (GPN) to Promote Ethical Recruitment, a member-led collaboration to bring together high-level policymakers, regulators and thought leaders to address challenges, identify solutions, and highlight good practices to strengthen the regulation of ethical recruitment and protect migrants workers. 

With the aim of presenting the Policy Network and the actions that are being developed in Panama on ethical recruitment within the framework of the global IRIS initiative, IOM held a first high-level round table on September 7  2021 with officials from multiple institutions of the Government of the Republic of Panama. 

Among the public authorities participating in the round table and listening to the presentation of Philip Hunter, IOM Senior Labour Migration Specialist in Geneva, Switzerland, were representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Professional Development, National Migration Service, Ministry of Trade and Industry, National Commission Against Trafficking in Persons, Ministry of the Presidency,  National Office for the Attention of Refugees, National Border Service and the Cabinet of Tourism. 

"Reinforce the importance of dialogue, the importance of coordination, holistic and comprehensive approaches. I believe that this Network offers an opportunity to encourage this type of dialogue and comprehensive approach not only as a good practice in countries, but also across borders," Hunter said at the end of his presentation. 

Following the global conference of policymakers and regulators held in Montréal, Canada, in 2019 and the creation of the Montréal Recommendations on Procurement, the GPN is a network of and for authorities to learn from one another, discuss common challenges, identify good practices to jointly develop solutions. It is based on the promotion of synergies, prevention of inefficiencies, alignment, collaboration, and partnership. 

Following the launch of the GPN last year, a regional and bilateral affiliation campaign was conducted to create thematic working groups and articulate a governance structure. As a result of the affiliate campaign, the Network currently has 43 members and 20 more strongly positioned to join. Its members include national and subnational authorities of foreign affairs, migration, internal affairs, justice, combating trafficking in persons, labour and development cooperation in countries in Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. 

Looking ahead, it is expected that by 2022 there will be at least 5 fully functioning working groups, an established and operational governance structure, and a global meeting of all members. "If we move forward alone we go faster, but when we move forward together we go further and that has been the intention of this meeting," said Marisol Linero, IOM's Labour Migration and Law Consultant in Panama. 

For more information, please contact Mayteé Zachrisson, IOM Communications and Media Assistant in Panama, at mzachrisson@iom.int.