The 3-day forum was held from 28-30 June at The University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus, Japan-Pacific ICT Centre and was live-streamed. ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries presented on 30 June during the Pacific Migration Research Workshop’s panel discussion on ‘labour mobility in a changing region’. Ms Angelica Neville (ILO Labour Mobility Officer) presented the published review of Seasonal worker schemes in the Pacific through the lens of international human rights and labour standards.

This review of the seasonal worker programs in Australia and New Zealand, that are available to citizens of Pacific Island countries (PICs), was carried out as part of the Pacific Climate Change Migration and Human Security (PCCMHS) programme ‘Enhancing Protection and Empowerment of Migrants and Communities Affected by Climate Change and Disasters in the Pacific Region’. One of the objectives of the programme is that “migrants and communities in the Pacific Island Countries benefit from safe labour migration as a sustainable development and climate change adaptation strategy”.

To contribute to this objective, the ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries commissioned a review of the seasonal worker schemes in Australia and New Zealand to examine their alignment with international human rights and labour standards, available here

More info on the 2022 Pacific Update and other presentations with recordings could be obtained here: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/pacific-update