Post 2015: Global Action for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future

CHApTER nInE
Given their size
and potential, it
is important to
strengthen
regional mobility
frameworks and
maximise their
development
impact. However,
they alone will not
resolve the failure
to observe the
global rights
framework.
186
there are currently regional mobility agreements
in some 13 regions 139 (see box 9.4), setting out their
own standards on migrants’ rights and access to
labour markets. these are the most advanced in
regions that are undergoing extensive economic
integration, as in the Eu or between australia and
new Zealand. at present, only a few regions allow
the free movement of low-skilled labour, although
further economic integration may lead to greater
labour mobility (maclaren, 2008).
regional consultative processes (rcps) (called
‘regional’ although some include countries from
more than one geographic region) have existed
since the 1990s. rcps have focused on building
trust rather than international policy convergence
(Koehler, 2011). achieng (2012) questions whether
they have laid the foundations for greater global
governance, but some initiatives show that rcps do
influence migration governance in general (e.g. the
colombo process helped to establish research units
on labour markets in member countries). rcps
overlap with rEcs geographically and thematically
but several countries oppose closer cooperation and
institutionalising links between different regional
fora (Iom, 2010d; achieng, 2012).
Some initiatives on regional labour mobility
have also originated from the Global Forum
on migration and Development, such as a new
taskforce to enhance Intra-african cooperation
on regional labour mobility involving six african
countries 140 (GFmD, 2012).
Given their size and potential, it is important
to strengthen regional mobility frameworks and
maximise their development impact. However,
they alone will not resolve current restrictions on
international labour movement and the failure to
EuropEan rEport on DEvElopmEnt 2013
observe the global rights framework. although
facilitating intra-regional migration may help
migrants who lack the financial means to move
further away, it does not address the global
asymmetries that cause South–north migration,
where migrants’ economic gains are usually higher.
9.4 Global framework on
migrants’ rights
the following sections discuss the existing
multilateral rights framework international efforts
to promote labour mobility and future options.
three main conventions form the basis of the
multilateral framework on rights and treatment of
migrant workers:
• The United Nations International Convention
on the protection of the rights of all migrant
Workers and members of their Families (1990)
• ILO Convention 97: Migration for Employment
convention (1949), which introduces the
principle of equal treatment for domestic and
migrant workers
• ILO Convention 143: Migrant Workers
(Supplementary provisions) (1975), which
advances rights to equal opportunities and
integration of migrant workers, and covers
irregular migrants.
In total, 86 countries have ratified at least one of
these binding conventions. the decision to draw
up a non-binding multilateral Framework on
labour migration (mFlm) (Ilo, 2004) stemmed
from the concerns raised by what the International
139 these include: andean pact, association of South East asian nations (aSEan), caribbean community (carIcom), central america Integration
System (SIca/caIS), common market for Eastern and Southern africa (comESa), commonwealth of Independent States (cIS), East africa
community (Eac), Economic community of West african States (EcoWaS), Eurasian Economic community (EaEc), mErcoSur, South
asian association for regional cooperation (Saarc), Southern african Development community (SaDc) and the European union (Eu)
140 Ghana, Kenya, liberia, mali, mauritius and nigeria.