The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), recognize labour migration as a key factor for defining employment policies, for the updating of labour market information systems, and for the reactivation of key industries for economic recovery. Thus, since 2019, both organizations have worked closely within the framework of IOM´s Western Hemisphere Program to contribute to the efforts of the governments in the effective management of labour migration, the protection of migrant workers, the prevention and protection against abusive migration practices, the promotion of orderly migration processes, and a vision of migration based on integration, inclusion and development. 

Those who participated in the exchange of experiences and good practices between government officials of Honduras and Panama had the opportunity to learn about Honduras's legal and administrative framework for the regulation of private recruitment agencies, and Panama´s legislation on private recruitment and placement services for seafarers within the framework of the Maritime Labour Convention. The exchange took place virtually in late February 2021 and was organized with the support of IOM and ILO. In attendance were authorities and technical personnel of the Secretariat of Labour and Social Security of Honduras, Panama’s Ministry of Labour and Professional Development, the Maritime Authority of Panama, IOM and ILO. 

“It is certain that this exchange was developed on the basis of principles of solidarity, complementarity, equality, and unconditionality. Its success will be evidence, once again, of the effectiveness of South-South cooperation”, stated Cristóbal Corrales, Deputy Secretary of Labour and Social Security of Honduras. 

IOM supports the Secretariat of Labour and Social Security of Honduras in the promotion of ethical recruitment, based on the legal framework of the Department of Regulation of Private Recruitment Agents. In Panama, the International Recruitment Integrity System (IRIS) has been the base of several actions that have been coordinated jointly with the Employment Department of the Ministry of Labour and Professional Development to contribute to the strengthening of actions between multiple stakeholders to promote ethical recruitment and the protection of migrant workers. IRIS is a global initiative designed by IOM jointly with partners of the government sector, the private sector and civil society. 

Representatives of both countries thanked the support of IOM and ILO and emphasized their interest in carrying out further meetings, such as this one, to have the opportunity to exchange experiences and good practices regarding labour migration management. Zaritma Simon, Director of Employment of Panama’s Ministry of Labour and Professional Development, said that “In addition to other exchanges of experiences and good practices, there is a very close collaboration between both countries which, without a doubt, will continue.” 

According to the General observation on matters arising from the application of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC, 2006) during the COVID-19 pandemic, published by the ILO, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of seafarers need to be repatriated immediately because they have exceeded their original period of service, for more than seventeen consecutive months in some cases, and often without permission to go ashore or receive medical care. Furthermore, there is a similar number of seafarers who urgently need to rejoin their posts to replace their shipmates. The data base of IOM and ILO reveals an exponential increase in cases of abandonment of seafarers in the second half of 2020, some of which are related to measures taken to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"We all know the dreadful consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also generated a crisis that has adversely affected all aspects of life, the entire world’s economy and work," said Sergio Paixão, specialist in international labour standards and indigenous peoples at ILO. 

Michela Macchiavello, regional thematic specialist on labour migration and human development at IOM, stated that “the current context, deeply affected by a serious economic crisis derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, demands joint, coherent and coordinated responses from international organizations and this event is a good example of such collaborations." 

This exchange came about thanks to the support of the Western Hemisphere Program and the project Promoting Ethical Recruitment in the Hotel and Tourism Industry, both implemented by IOM and financed by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the Department of State of the United States of America. 

For more information contact Jorge Gallo, Regional Media and Communications Officer, via jgallo@iom.intl; Ismael Cruceta, Chief Press Officer at IOM Honduras, via icruceta@iom.int; Mayteé Zachrisson, Media and Communications Assistant at IOM Panama, via mzachrisson@iom.int.