Launch of the Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment (FAIR) in the Philippines

The ILO Country Office for the Philippines presented the objectives and expected results of the FAIR project to ILO constituents and key national partners.

The ILO Country Office for the Philippines officially presented the FAIR project on 3 August 2016 in Metro Manila. In partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), this 3-year project aims at reducing cases of deceptive and fraudulent recruitment practices, testing innovative intervention models to effectively regulate and monitor labour recruitment as well as creating fair recruitment options for migrant workers.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Chief, Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, delivered the keynote speech of Secretary Silvestre Bello III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). ILO constituents, private employment agencies, non-government organizations, media and other key partners also joined the launch. Coinciding with the launch was the first country visit to the Philippines of Ms Tomoko Nishimoto, ILO Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, who opened the event with a call for support from ILO partners in the implementation of the FAIR project in the Philippines.

Working closely with government, workers’ and employers’ organizations as well as the media and key civil society actors, the FAIR project will employ the following key strategies: strengthening global knowledge on national and international recruitment practices; reinforcing laws, policies and enforcement mechanisms to enhance fair recruitment practices; promoting fair business practices; and empowering and protecting workers.