Secretariat Participates in Pacific Labour Mobility Annual Meeting
The PIDC Secretariat attended the Pacific Labour Mobility annual conference that was hosted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Brisbane, Australia from 15-16 November 2017. The annual forum was attended by stakeholders from sending and receiving countries including labour mobility academics, civil society and private stakeholders from the Australian and New Zealand service and employment industry. The forum also included Ministry of Labour officials from sending countries in the Pacific including Fiji, Solomon Islands, PNG, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga, RMI and Samoa.
The annual forum allowed the Secretariat to increase its engagement with the Labour Mobility community and enhance their understanding of the important linkages that immigration has with any labour mobility framework. It was also an opportunity for the Secretariat to raise issues on behalf of PIDC in relation to Pacific Island sending countries sharing best practises and lessons. As well as addressing the ongoing challenges and issues faced by sending Pacific island states, the meeting also allowed participants to discuss issues of expanded labour mobility in the Pacific and share perspectives on Pacific island countries experiences. A key part of discussions included: training and skills development; savings, remittances and financial inclusion; and pastoral care and worker protections.