Promoting decent work through good governance, protection and empowerment of migrant workers: Ensuring the effective implementation of the Sri Lanka National Labour Migration Policy - Upscaling and Consolidation - Phase III

The ILO Colombo office has been supporting the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and other tripartite constituents to implement the National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) since December 2010, facilitated through a project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Sri Lanka. The Phase II implementation of the project concludes at the end of December 2015. ILO in its role of supporting the Government of Sri Lanka and its tripartite constituents, was keen to provide continued technical support for the ratification of International Frameworks and Conventions while further strengthening and consolidating its work in support of ILO Director General’s Fair Migration Agenda by building on initiatives at the policy level to ensure they effectively cascade towards the ultimate beneficiary migrant women and men and, their families and local communities, in this proposed phase 3. Based on a brief exercise of reviewing the ongoing implementation of the NLMP among key stakeholders especially members of ILO’s Project Advisory Committee (PAC) and lessons learnt in Phase I and II of project, ILO has identified several priority areas of intervention for Phase 3. These interventions include, review and strengthening of legislation and frameworks on labour migration in Sri Lanka, expanding capacity building based on safe and fair migration at the national and district levels and strengthen grievance handling mechanisms in Sri Lanka and overseas, especially supporting the government and stakeholders to set in place mechanisms to reduce discrimination towards women migrants and vulnerability of children of migrant workers. This phase also intends to continue supporting the government to advocate at regional and international for access to more decent jobs through experiences of policy implementation, engage in specific efforts to enhance development benefits through migration and continue to engage in promoting ethical recruitment practices by enhancing the professionalism of recruitment agents, especially collaborating to ensure specific recruitment guidelines of ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative are synchronized with the work carried out under promotion of ethical recruitment.

Project symbol

LKA/15/02/CHE

Admin unit

CO-Colombo

Start date

01/03/2016

End date

29/02/2020

Total allocation

1525757

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

1404105

Development Partners

Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Country/Countries

Sri Lanka

Outcomes

Outcome 7: Adequate and effective protection at work for all