Launching of REFRAME project in Mexico and work plan for 2018-2019

NThe event had the purpose of bringing together, for the first time, all the actors that have contributed to the definition of the project work plan for Mexico.

News | 13 June 2018
MEXICO, D.F. (ILO News) - The launch of ILO/EU REFRAME project in Mexico and corresponding Work Plan for 2018-2019 took place on May 8th 2018 in Mexico City.

The event was attended by representatives of government institutions, including the Secretary of Labour, the Secretary of the Interior with officials from the Migration Institute and the Migration Policy Unit, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of Agriculture. Also present at the launch and consultation were employers’ associations, the three main labour union centrals in Mexico, recruitment agencies, other UN agencies and civil society actors.

The event had the purpose of bringing together, for the first time, all the actors that have contributed to the definition of REFRAME work plan for Mexico. Designed through a participatory process, mostly through bilateral meetings with different partners, the work plan was presented publicly to ensure a joint conversation around the proposed activities and to agree on the strategies and approach for the project. It also had the objective of promoting a dialogue on fair recruitment and labour migration among labour and non-labour actors.

The work plan includes activities with different actors at a national and municipal level, and focus mainly on the bordering state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. However, the project has also partners in other regions of the country that have experienced a change in their migration dynamics and are seeing an increase in the participation of migrant workers in the urban economy. Some of these states are Jalisco, in the Pacific, Coahuila in the Gulf of Mexico, and Baja California in the northern border. Representatives of labour unions from these states attended the event.

Activities are focused on strengthening existing policies and institutional frameworks, including strengthening the role of the public employment service; ensuring availability and accessibility of complains and grievance mechanisms; supporting transparency of enforcement institutions and procedures; promoting industry led FR processes/initiatives by labour recruiters and employers and; supporting services provision to migrant workers on fair recruitment.

During the consultation, partners were also able to share their perspectives with the rest of the participants and to identify new synergies and possibilities for collaboration within the project framework. The work plan was agreed on towards the end of the consultation and the calendarization of activities through follow up meetings ensued.