PHNOM PENH: On Monday, 25 April 2022, the Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for Asia and the Pacific, Nenette Motus, and the Director of the IOM Mission in Cambodia, Kristin Parco, met with the Minister of Labor and Vocational Training, Ith Sam Heng, in the Office of the Ministry of Labor to seek approval for the implementation of the second phase of the Poverty Reduction Project through Safe Migration, Skills Building and Employment Promotion in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand (PROMISE), from September 2021 to August 2025. The first phase of the project ran from September 2017 to August 2021.

On behalf of the Ministry of Labor, Minister Ith Sam Heng welcomed the IOM Asia Pacific Director, Nenette Motus, for her visit to Cambodia, and expressed his high appreciation for IOM and its important role in promoting sustainable migration, as an indispensable partner in the Asia-Pacific region and Cambodia. He particularly addressed the work IOM did to address this issue during the Covid-19 pandemic, when migrant workers could not cross the border and were stranded in other countries without work.

Director Nenette Motus highlighted the work of the PROMISE project, a regional program implemented under the auspices of the IOM, with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The project is expected to last for eight years in its totality, divided into two phases: Phase 1: from September 2017 to August 2021, and Phase 2: from September 2021 to August 2025

Between 1998-2002, Nanette Motus was the IOM President in Cambodia, so she said she was very pleased to visit Cambodia again, particularly seeing that Cambodia has made a lot of progress. She said that the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training has especially made a lot of progress. She added that as Cambodia is hosting this year's ASEAN Summit, IOM would like to provide technical support and documentation during events with relevant agendas, such as the Migrant Workers' Meeting. IOM would also like to provide technical assistance on migration policy in Cambodia.

In response to the IOM's offer of assistance, Minister Ith Sam Heng stated that the ASEAN Summit, would not ignore issues related to migrant workers, so IOM support on technical issues and documentation would help to provide more input for solving some of the challenges that need to be addressed together. For the migration policy that the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training has worked on with the ILO, the Minister said he would like to see this policy become a national policy with the approval of the Royal Government of Cambodia, so additional support from the IOM and other partners would be required to help strengthen this policy and ensure the safety of migrant workers.

Minister Ith Sam Heng agreed to support and continue cooperating with IOM in implementing the second phase of the PROMISE project. At the same time, the Minister requested IOM to increase cooperation with the Ministry on projects providing assistance to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among migrant workers, and supporting the implementation of the outcomes of the CLMVT’s work on 17 September 2019 in Siem Reap. This is related to the road map of Siem Reap city and the statement issued by the Minister of Labor regarding the mobility and social security system of migrant workers of CLMVT countries, which includes a plan for capacity building and raising awareness on the Association of Recruitment Agencies and Private Recruitment Agencies on the International System of Fair Recruitment (IRIS).

The two sides also discussed matters related to the Mekong Regional Meeting on Safe Migrant Workers, which Cambodia will be co-chairing in May 2022 under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).