Seminar on advocating for the ratification of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

The FES Flight and Migration Competence Center in collaboration with Ethiopian Labor Rights Watch (ELRW) organized a one-day seminar advocating for the benefits of ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families on 7 April 2022 in Addis Ababa. The Seminar was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Ethiopia (MOLSA), the Ministry of Justice of Ethiopia (MoJ), the IOM, the GIZ and stakeholders from academia and civil society. Discussions during the event were based on a dialogue paper commissioned by the Center which explored the reasons why Ethiopia has not ratified the ICRMW by drawing on literature and the experiences of other countries which are members to the convention.

ICRMW was adopted on 18 December 1990 as one of the nine major UN human rights treaties. However, the convention - which came into force on 1 July 2003 - is still one of the least ratified UN human rights treaties with only 58 ratifications and another 11 countries that remain signatories. In Africa, the convention has been ratified by 26 countries and signed by five more countries whereas 23 countries (including Ethiopia) are yet to take any action towards the convention. The convention emphasizes the inevitable link between migration and human rights making it a unique and comprehensive instrument in the field of human rights and migration.

Considering the continental ambition to tap into the potential of migrant workers expressed in continental frameworks such as Agenda 2063 and Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) as well as flagship projects such as the Africa Free Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the AU Free Movement of People Protocol, the development of legal and policy frameworks for the protection of the rights of migrant workers is urgently needed. Ethiopia is one of the major origin, transit and destination countries in Africa in terms of migration. Regular as well as irregular Ethiopian migrant workers make up a significant portion of the domestic workforce in Gulf Countries with an estimated 1.5 million migrant workers attempting the journey to Saudi Arabia between 2008 and 2014 and an estimated 500,000 migrant workers residing in Saudi Arabia without any status. Furthermore, Ethiopian migrant workers also make up a significant portion of the mobility towards South Africa via the Southern Route alongside migrants from Somalia. With often reported human rights violations in destination countries – including forced labor, lack of access to justice and basic services, xenophobia, physical and sexual abuse - protecting the rights of Ethiopian migrants has inevitably become a policy priority for both the government and migration actors. To this end, the Ethiopian government has issued calls to improve the situation of migrant workers abroad and has negotiated bilateral agreements with countries of destination such as Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

During the seminar on the adoption of the ICRMW by Ethiopia, participants raised compelling policy points in support of a ratification by emphasizing that the convention provides specific guidance on the application of international standards for the treatment of migrant workers; its recognition of fundamental human rights applicable to migrant workers; its importance in portraying a message to destination countries with regards to the humane treatment of migrants; its relevance in facilitating effective management of migration for the benefit of migrants and destination countries as well as its relevance for migration advocacy and international cooperation for the governance of migrant workers.

FMCC will continue working with local civil society organizations and international partners to raise awareness of key human rights instruments applicable to migrants - such as the ICRMW - and its adoption and ratification in Ethiopia and other African countries.