On 30 and 31 January 2024, the Mekong Migration Network (MMN) and Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW), co-organised the Third Policy Dialogue on the Roles of Countries of Origin in Supporting Migrants’ Access to Social Security. The meeting held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia was attended by more than 50 participants joining in-person or online, and included a cross-section of representatives from government bodies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), business associations, recruitment agencies, academia, law firms and international organisations from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines.

The objectives of the Third Policy Dialogue were to:

1. Discuss the findings and recommendations from MMN’s latest study on the roles of countries of origin in supporting migrants’ access to social security;
2. Facilitate multi-stakeholder discussion among countries of origin, with a special focus on the roles they play in facilitating migrant workers’ access to social protection, and elicit greater commitment from countries of origin to enhance support for migrant workers;
3. Exchange and update information concerning initiatives by various stakeholders in providing accurate information and assisting migrant workers with accessing social protection in both countries of origin and destination; and
4. Identify gaps and strategies to strengthen the roles of countries of origin in assisting migrant workers’ access to social protection.

The four panels at the Policy Dialogue covered wide-ranging themes on migration from Mekong countries to Japan and Thailand, including migrants’ knowledge of their social protection rights and benefits, the roles of countries of origin at the pre-departure, work, and return stages of migration and the importance of cross-border multi-stakeholder collaboration to improve migrants’ access to social protection. During each panel, discussants representing different stakeholder groups shared their observations on the issues faced by migrant workers and expounded on their commitment to further promote and protect migrants’ rights.

While the migration corridors to Thailand and Japan presented separate and unique challenges to migrant workers, participants identified several common themes that stakeholders in countries of origin need to urgently address, namely: difficulties accessing accurate and comprehensive information on social protection; the limited transferability of social security; excessive recruitment fees and other related costs borne by migrant workers; and misinformation regarding migrant workers’ reproductive rights.

At the conclusion of the Third Policy Dialogue, participants collaborated in small discussion groups to identify recommendations to present to governments of countries of origin and recruitment agencies, and outline an action plan to further promote the rights and benefits of migrant workers.