This report was prepared to inform and guide discussions on the theme “Recovery and labour migration in the post-pandemic future” at the 14th ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML) hosted by the Government of Brunei Darussalam on 6 and 8 September 2021. The AFML is a tripartite meeting that brings together Governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, alongside civil society groups, to discuss migration governance issues across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, and aims to promote and protect migrant workers’ rights. The AFML is supported by the ILO through its TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Women.

This background paper maps out impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on ASEAN migrant workers in the second year of the pandemic and highlights the need to strengthen ongoing responses to address migrant workers' immediate needs. The report also proposes addressing gaps in the protection of migrants that were exposed and exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic to support a human-centred, inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery towards a post-pandemic future.