Building Safer Migration Pathways for Filipino Migrants

Angel, 36, from Mandaluyong City, Philippines, was a survivor of human trafficking in Southeast Asia.  

With support from the International Organization on Migration (IOM) and its partner organization, the Batis Center for Women, she was able to reintegrate to the Philippines. She was provided with a place to stay, emotional support, business training and financial support to help her to start over. 

As a former overseas Filipino, Angel’s story resonates with millions of Filipinos who have left, returned and rebuilt their lives with support matching their needs. 

Working and living abroad has long been a part of life for many Filipinos, but their experience is often complicated. Migration is full of risks, uncertainty, and emotional weight, not just for the migrants themselves but also for the families they leave behind. 

IOM began operations in the Philippines in 1975, just a year after the Philippine Government’s formalization of overseas employment. Since then, IOM has collaborated with the government, civil society organizations and communities to improve how migration is managed – from pre-deployment to working overseas and coming home when migrants so choose. IOM has provided assistance to thousands of individual migrants over the last 50 years and has supported the country as a whole through its technical assistance to the government in formulating migrant-friendly policies and facilitating regular migration pathways. 

From building systems and providing training to supporting policy development and implementation, IOM operates behind the scenes and on the ground. Amid the changing nature of migration, IOM has worked to enhance national responses while also advancing well-managed migration globally. 

Building systems that last 

The Philippines has made significant strides in building better systems for labour migration and migrant protection. Among the milestones was the global launch in 2016 of the Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Initiative Guidelines to Protect Migrants in Countries Experiencing Conflict or Natural Disaster, a process co-led by the Philippines; and the creation of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) in 2022, which helped streamline labour migration processes for better management and efficiency. Since the DMW’s inception, IOM has provided strategic support in key areas: developing policies, enhancing staff capacities, engaging diverse stakeholders to inform programming and policy approaches, as well as amplifying the agency’s advocacy for fair and ethical recruitment and sustainable, gender-responsive reintegration on the global stage. 

“Our work would have taken longer if IOM was not with us every step of the way. IOM is our steady partner on human rights and standards – not just at the policy, but also at the programme level,” said Andrea Anolin, DMW Director for the National Reintegration Centre for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). 

With IOM’s inputs and technical assistance, the DMW has completed a chapter in the 4th Philippine Human Rights Plan (2023-2028), outlining the Philippines’ strategic direction in implementing its international commitments under the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. This strong partnership continues to expand as the DMW advances its mandate to ensure full protection of migrant workers’ rights and welfare.  

At the same time, IOM supports the Philippines in implementing the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), a global agreement that promotes safe and orderly migration. The country signed the agreement and became a GCM Champion Country in 2018. IOM has supported the Philippine Government to develop action plans on fair and ethical recruitment as well as on sustainable, gender-responsive return and reintegration. 

“We continue to work closely with IOM, firmly grounded in the country’s widely recognized leadership in implementing the GCM. In pursuit of our national development objectives, aligned with the PH-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2024-2028, our nation is ready to further contribute to the development of policies and practices that promote solutions leveraging its potential while addressing emerging migration challenges, which will strengthen the active partnership between the Philippines and the United Nations in the shared commitment to sustainable development for all,” said the Department of Foreign Affairs.