Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 reflects efforts to promote safe migration

According to Ms. Mitsue Pembroke, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM, the Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 has contributed to strengthening Vietnam's position as one of the leading countries in implementing the GCM Agreement.

Đại diện Phái đoàn IOM: Hồ sơ Di cư Việt Nam 2023 phản ánh nỗ lực bảo đảm quyền của người di cư

Ms. Mitsue Pembroke, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM, was interviewed on the sidelines of the Conference. (Photo: Thu Trang)

On the sidelines of the Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 launching workshop on October 29 in Hanoi, Ms. Mitsue Pembroke, Acting Chief Representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), shared with The World and Vietnam Newspaper about the coordination between IOM and the Vietnamese Government to ensure the rights of migrants.

The Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 is compiled by the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the participation of agencies, within the framework of the Project “Supporting evidence-based policies and programs in the context of cross-border migration in Vietnam”. This project is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and IOM with funding from the IOM Development Fund (IDF). Could you please assess the significance of the publication of the Vietnam Migration Profile 2023?

It can be affirmed that the publication of the Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 is of great significance. Over the years, since the first Vietnam Migration Profile in 2011, then in 2016 and the third in 2023, we can clearly see the development in both depth and breadth of migration-related policies in Vietnam. This document also shows that the Vietnamese Government has achieved very clear goals and achievements in policy making to support and ensure the rights of migrants.

As a partner of the Government of Viet Nam, IOM highly appreciates the efforts of the Government of Viet Nam in drafting and developing the Migration Profile. At the same time, we believe that the Viet Nam Migration Profile 2023 will play an important role in facilitating safe migration and contributing to helping Viet Nam move further in implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), consolidating its position as one of the leading countries in implementing this agreement.

In the context of international migration continuing to take place with increasing scale and speed, what are the difficulties and risks that migrant workers often encounter when working abroad today?

Depending on the context and country, migrant workers face different challenges. For example, in receiving or transit countries, migrant workers may fall into the trap of labor exploitation, sometimes their identity documents may be confiscated, making it impossible for them to escape exploitation, causing a lot of psychological suffering and material damage. This is one of the top risks that migrant workers often face.

Delegates attend the Workshop to announce the Vietnam Migration Profile 2023 on October 29, in Hanoi. (Photo: Quang Hoa)

So what knowledge and skills do migrant workers need to equip themselves with to avoid those risks, madam?

One of the ways IOM responds and helps migrant workers prevent risks during migration is by equipping them with basic skills through supporting awareness raising for migrant workers about their rights and the information they can access and need when going abroad to work.

Nowadays, most migrant workers are very young, they are the future of the world and are tech-savvy, using social media a lot. That is also one of the reasons why we are actively using social media to spread information about safe migration and through the project called “Thinking ahead” to help young migrant workers anticipate the risks in each migration route, at the same time know the benefits in the migration process and the necessary information.

In addition, one of the other activities that IOM has been implementing is to promote inter-agency coordination. Currently, IOM not only coordinates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also coordinates with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and many other ministries, departments, and non-governmental partners, to form a network to join hands to promote comprehensive efforts to bring benefits to migrants before they embark on their journey, as well as in the rescue of migrants who have fallen into the trap of human trafficking.

The clearest evidence of this interdisciplinary effort is that in recent times, we have coordinated with the Vietnamese Government and non-governmental organizations to successfully rescue many cases of human trafficking in Cambodia.

Thank you!

The Migration Profile was proposed by the European Commission (EC) in 2005 with the initial aim of developing a support programme in third countries in the field of migration and poverty reduction strategies. The Migration Profile was then developed by IOM for testing in 2006 and within just 5 years, around 70 countries had developed it.

The main objectives of the Migration Profile are to assess the current situation of migration; to increase understanding of migration and its links to development; to assess the impact of migration on socio-economic development; to assist governments in establishing or strengthening mechanisms for regular synthesis of migration-related trends; to improve the use of migration information in policy making; and to promote inter-sectoral cooperation, particularly in data collection and policy formulation.

Therefore, the Migration Profile is an important tool to enhance policy coherence, promote evidence-based policy making and mainstream migration into development plans.

The development of Migration Profiles has also been officially recommended in the GCM. Accordingly, in Objective 1 on “collecting and using accurate and comprehensive data as a basis for evidence-based policy making”, the GCM calls on countries to periodically develop Migration Profiles.

Recognizing the importance of migration data and Migration Profiles for migration management and migration policy making, since 2011, Vietnam has coordinated with IOM to develop the Migration Profile (first edition) titled “Report on the migration situation of Vietnamese citizens abroad”, followed by the Vietnam Migration Profile 2016 and the third edition in 2023.