The Philippines, through the Department of Migrant Workers, together with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Executive Bureau, other governments, international organizations and development partners, has launched a dedicated platform that would enable cross-regional engagement between countries of origin and destination to benefit millions of migrant workers along the Asia-Gulf migration corridor.

In a news release on Wednesday, the DMW said the initiative would address longstanding challenges in ensuring migrant workers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), maintain access to benefits such as social security, insurance, and welfare support while working abroad.

“Strengthening social protection for migrant workers inherently requires inter-regional engagement, as protection gaps often arise at the intersection of origin and destination systems,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said during the high-level meeting on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

“While national frameworks provide initial safety nets, a unified, cross-border approach is essential to fully ensure the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other migrant workers,” he added.

The DMW said the initiative is supported by the International Labor Organization’s Strengthening Social Protection and Human Rights for Migrant Workers (STREAM) program.

It added that the initiative would establish a regular mechanism to bridge national gaps, foster mutual understanding, strengthen cross-border coordination, and ensure the portability of social security benefits and rights.

The agency said the Philippines, as a global pioneer in labor migration governance, is co-chairing the platform alongside the GCC Executive Bureau, establishing a unique framework for shared responsibility between origin and destination countries.

“The Philippines is proud to support social protection for migrant workers and their families and committed to advancing this agenda as the new incoming Chair of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue and in other fora,” Cacdac said.

“We hope the new platform will allow to identify concrete ways in which social protection systems can be better coordinated across borders to ensure coverage and portability of social security rights,” he added.

The labor migration corridor between Asia and GCC countries is among the world’s largest, with millions of migrant workers contributing to economic growth in both their host and home countries.

While governments have introduced various welfare programs and labor reforms, social protection systems often remain confined within national borders, making it difficult for workers to transfer benefits or maintain coverage abroad.

The newly established platform aims to bridge those gaps by promoting regular discussions, technical exchanges, and practical solutions among governments.

“The fact that this platform is jointly steered by countries of origin and destination is perhaps its greatest strength,” Deputy Director of the ILO Social Protection Department (SOCPRO) Valerie Schmitt said.

“The two co-chairs bring something unique: leadership from both sides of the migration corridor. This sends a powerful message: effective social protection can only be achieved through partnership, dialogue, and shared responsibility,” he added

International partners supporting the initiative said stronger coordination could help make protection systems more responsive to the realities migrant workers face.

With support from the ILO’s STREAM program, the initiative will organize technical discussions and policy exchanges focused on social security coordination, while expanding access to protection.

“This platform functions as a framework for the exchange of successful strategies, the promotion of prominent initiatives from the GCC, and the resolution of obstacles to fulfill mutual goals in the field of social protection and labour migration. The Executive Bureau remains committed to backing programmes that foster collaborative efforts and long-term partnerships,” Mohammed bin Hassan Al-Obaidli, Director General of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in the GCC States, noted. (PNA)