The Institute for Labor Studies Executive Director Ahmma Charisma Lobrin-Satumba participated in the “9th ADBI-OECD-ILO Roundtable on Labor Migration in Asia” themed “Innovative Approaches for the Effective Management of Labor Migration in Asia” held in Tokyo, Japan last 24-25 January 2019.

Organized by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) in cooperation with the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the two-day intensive roundtable, comprising of interactive presentations, discussions, and breakout sessions, brought together government officials in the labor-migration-related fields from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Developing Member Countries (DMCs) to learn, discuss, and exchange views on the development of labor migration policies, and to build the participants’ capacity to design and implement innovative approaches to labor migration.

As the Philippine representative, Executive Director Lobrin-Satumba delivered a country presentation on Session 4: “Labor Mobility, Skills Development and Recognition.” Her presentation covered recent policy changes that the country has implemented, through the Department of Labor and Employment, to recognize and develop migrants’ skills. The session examined how skills development and recognition can be built into mobility channels and what partnerships can help define standards and contribute to funding training that is appropriate for destination country labor markets. The session was chaired by Nilim Baruah, Senior Migration Specialist, Decent Work Team, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, ILO.

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