The International Labour Organization (ILO), together with Myanmar civil society, community-based, and labour organizations, commemorated International Migrants Day on 14 December 2025 in Yangon under the theme “Every Migrant, Every Story, One Humanity.” The event was organized through the EU-funded Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia: Safe Migration for Decent Work in the Blue Economy and the TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme, supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Its purpose was to highlight the individuality, dignity, and shared humanity of migrant workers, recognizing their vital contributions amid heightened vulnerabilities in Myanmar due to political instability and conflict.
Over 200 participants joined the event in person and online, including potential and returned migrant workers, their families, and supporting civil society and labour organizations. The programme showcased the voices of Myanmar migrant workers employed in Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, alongside returnees’ experiences. A panel discussion focused on labour migration policies in Thailand and Japan, as well as fair recruitment initiatives in Thailand’s seafood processing sector.
Yutong Liu, ILO Myanmar Liaison Officer and Country Representative, emphasized the importance of acknowledging the contributions of migrant workers, who provide an essential lifeline to their families and communities. She reaffirmed the ILO’s commitment to ensuring robust protection of Myanmar migrant workers’ rights throughout the migration process. On 18 December 2025, the ILO highlighted migrant workers’ achievements and the importance of safe and fair labour migration by publishing a series of stories on its Myanmar Facebook page.
Benjamin Harkins, Technical Specialist at the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, noted that labour migration remains a critical livelihood strategy for many Myanmar people, particularly as local employment opportunities have diminished. He highlighted that reduced access to safe migration pathways has increased the vulnerability of Myanmar migrants to exploitation and abuse. Through the EU-funded Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia programme, the ILO and its partners are working to expand access to safe migration, decent work, and the protection of fundamental labour rights, especially in the fishing, seafood processing, and aquaculture sectors.
The Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia programme is a regional initiative implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It aims to promote safe migration and decent work for a sustainable fish and seafood supply chain in Southeast Asia. The programme addresses the specific vulnerabilities migrant workers face in these sectors and mitigates risks encountered during the migration process that can lead to labour rights abuses, forced labour, and deficits in decent work.
