Representatives from ministries of labour, foreign affairs, and workers’ and employers’ organizations across East and Horn of Africa states reaffirmed their commitment to advancing fair, rights-based, and gender-responsive labour migration governance following a five-day regional training on Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs) held from 8 to 12 December 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The training was convened by the IGAD Secretariat and the International Labour Organization (ILO), with support from the European Union-funded Support to Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance Phase II (FMPT II) project and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM) programme, in collaboration with the ILO International Training Centre. Participants included experts from national ministries, regional organizations such as IGAD and the East African Community, and representatives from employer and trade union confederations.
The programme focused on building institutional and technical capacity to draft, negotiate, implement, and monitor rights-based and gender-responsive BLAs that safeguard the rights of migrant workers. Labour migration remains a critical livelihood pathway in the region, yet many migrant workers face violations of their rights, including unsafe recruitment, weak protections, and limited access to justice. While several member states have entered bilateral labour arrangements, their effectiveness is often undermined by unequal bargaining power, fragmented negotiation practices, and gaps in implementation and monitoring.
To address these challenges, the five-day training provided practical tools, negotiation simulations, case studies, and peer-learning sessions grounded in international labour standards, continental normative frameworks, and the IGAD Regional Guidelines on Rights-Based BLAs. Participants deepened their understanding of labour standards, explored strategies to strengthen coordination among national institutions and social partners, and identified areas for a regional common approach to prevent a “race to the bottom” in protecting migrant workers’ rights.
Key speakers highlighted the importance of the initiative for regional labour migration governance. Khumbula Ndaba, ILO Country Director for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, emphasized that this work is central to social justice and fair labour mobility. The European Union, represented by Lubomira Mieresove, reaffirmed its support for gender-responsive, rights-based approaches, noting that the training equips member states with tools to ensure safer and more dignified migration pathways. Lucy Daxbatcher of the IGAD Secretariat underscored that coordinated regional action strengthens technical capacities and collective bargaining, resulting in stronger protections and more consistent outcomes for migrant workers.
Participants highlighted the added value of regional cooperation, noting that shared learning, harmonization of approaches, and coordinated positions are essential to equitable labour migration governance. The training supports the implementation of the IGAD Regional Guidelines on Rights-Based BLAs, contributes to continental objectives under the African Union Migration Policy Framework, and builds on prior initiatives to strengthen the work of labour attachés, improve fair recruitment practices, and enhance protections for migrant workers in both origin and destination countries.
At the conclusion of the programme, participants reaffirmed their collective commitment to promoting decent work, strengthening rights-based labour migration governance, and safeguarding the dignity and wellbeing of all migrant workers across the East and Horn of Africa.
