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Current Affairs – 1 June 2024

Current Affairs – 1 June 2024

Colombo Process

India has become chair of the Colombo Process for the first time since its inception in 2003.

  • Regional Consultative Process:
    • Provides a platform for consultations on overseas employment and contractual labour for Asian countries of origin.
    • Serves as a forum for exchanging best practices on overseas employment.
  • Membership:
    • Comprises 12 Member States of Asia (countries of origin of migrant workers).
    • Members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
    • India has been a member since the inception in 2003.
  • Objectives:
    • Share experiences, lessons learned, and best practices in labour migration management.
    • Consult on issues faced by migrants, countries of origin, and countries of destination; propose practical solutions for the well-being of overseas workers.
    • Optimize development benefits from organized overseas employment and enhance dialogues with countries of destination.
    • Review and monitor the implementation of recommendations and identify further steps of action.
  • Decision-Making:
    • Non-binding and by consensus.
  • Coordination:
    • Coordinated through the Permanent Missions of Member States at the United Nations in Geneva.
    • Governed by Ministerial Consultations where recommendations and action plans are discussed and adopted by Ministers of participating countries.
  • Technical Support:
    • Provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) since inception, serving as the Secretariat.
  • Thematic Area Working Groups (TAWGs):
    • Skills and Qualification Recognition (chaired by Sri Lanka)
    • Fostering Ethical Recruitment (chaired by Bangladesh)
    • Pre-Departure Orientation and Empowerment (chaired by the Philippines)
    • Remittances (chaired by Pakistan)
    • Labour Market Analysis (chaired by Thailand)