On 29 August 2016, a dialogue with Missions was organized by Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) network in Malaysia and Nepal, in collaboration with the Nepal Embassy. The half-day dialogue was attended by mission’s representatives from Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, the USA, and Bangladesh. Select civil society organizations, a member of the parliament and the Ministry of Human Resources joined the program. The dialogue provided a space to understand the issues faced by migrant workers in Malaysia as well as the services and support available for migrant workers provided by the missions.  The dialogue also talked about ways to further strengthen mutual support for and coordination with the Missions, civil society and other relevant stakeholders such as national human rights institutions and international organizations both in countries of origin and destination that work for the promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) Malaysia signed in was discussed to expand knowledge and help understand the impact of this agreement to migrant workers in the country.

As a follow up to this, MFA and the Malaysian Bar Council (MBC) is organized a Missions’ Dialogue in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 8-9 August 2018. The program aimed to look at the developments and opportunities for advancing a rights-based approach in addressing labour migration in the new political context of Malaysia, keeping in mind the discourse at the different processes such as the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and ASEAN.

Prior to this, MFA has convened civil society delegates from Nepal to meet with the Nepal embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as to have a field visit to Nepali migrant workers’ accommodations in Petaling Jaya. The delegates consisted of 9 Nepalis from migrants’ organizations, Nepali social mobilizers in Malaysia, women’s organization, trade union, lawyers, government, and national human rights institutions.

For more information please contact William Gois of the MFA Secretariat at: mfa@mfasia.org.

Please find below photos from the program.