Since 2017, adidas has been collaborating with IOM to promote the human and labour rights of migrant workers in adidas’ supply chain, especially in high-risk migrant corridors in Asia. Activities included support to adidas to strengthen their policies on responsible recruitment, the rollout of a supplier training programme to eliminate modern slavery and the development of tools for supplier to implement ethical and responsible recruitment. In 2021, adidas and IOM plan to provide additional trainings for labour recruiters in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.
“The migrant worker guidelines developed by IOM as part of our strategic partnership have provided our suppliers with practical guidance on implementing ethical recruitment practices, in alignment with adidas’ employment standards. It has deepened the engagement between the suppliers and recruitment intermediaries in countries of origin, secured greater buy-in from leadership teams and increased social compliance levels. Overall, the positive uptake of the responsible recruitment programme has strengthened supplier commitment to eliminating unethical recruitment practices in their own operations”.
- Aditi Wanchoo, Senior Manager Social & Environmental Affairs, adidas
The Earthworm Foundation and IOM have carried out a comprehensive cross-border mapping of recruitment, working and living conditions of migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Indonesia in the Malaysian palm oil sector in 2019 and 2020. The mapping included consultations with various stakeholders, assessments with employers and recruiters, and most importantly, interviews with migrant workers. Creating a better understanding of the root causes of journeys of migrant workers in the palm oil supply chains has supported participating companies in improving their management systems towards preventing, addressing and remediating the identified risks.
"The Earthworm Foundation values the partnership with IOM and the insight it has brought. The labour supply chain mapping experience has allowed us to better understand practices and policies in key countries of origin. This will help us support and guide companies in Malaysia on how to improve their recruitment practices, benefitting both migrant workers and employers in the palm oil industry."
– Natasha Mahendran, Social and Human Rights Manager, Earthworm Foundation
From 2019 until 2023, IOM and Fast Retailing has partnered to promote ethical recruitment and employment of migrant workers in Fast Retailing’s supply chains in Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand. The Standards and Guidelines on Responsible Recruitment of Migrant Workers for Production Partners have been jointly developed, leading to its adoption in 2020. Subsequent collaboration included an assessment of the recruitment and employment practices of migrant workers in line with the Standards and Guidelines, capacity building to strengthen Fast Retailing’s labour supply chain integrity and technical skills on ethical recruitment, tailored trainings for production partners and provision of practical tools and guidance to manage migrant workers, as well as ethical recruitment trainings for associated labour recruiters in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. The collaboration supports Fast Retailing to deliver on its pledge to transform recruitment and employment practices as a signatory of the Fair Labour Association (FLA)/American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment.
“Our partnership with IOM has been instrumental for Fast Retailing to create a sustainable framework that truly protects the human and labour rights of migrant workers in our supply chain. In 2018, we signed the FLA/AAFA Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment, which has been integrated in our Code of Conduct for Production Partners. Our partnership with IOM took us a step further on our journey towards more responsible recruitment practices.
Targeted capacity-building and strategic guidance from IOM enabled us to engage properly and confidently with our suppliers. In this regard, the IOM Migrant Worker Guidelines provided an excellent basis for Fast Retailing to develop a set of standards and practical guidelines for our suppliers on how to implement ethical recruitment. We look forward to strengthen collaboration and transparency along our own supply chain, as well as share our learnings and good practice with industry partners.”
- Yukihiro Nitta, the Group Senior Vice President, Fast Retailing
Since 2019, The IOM and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) have been closely collaborating and providing mutual assistance in relation to ethical recruitment and protection of migrant workers in global supply chains. Underpinned by a global Memorandum of Understanding, IOM’s CREST team and FLA have carried out a supply chain mapping project in the Vietnamese rubber sector and training programmes for business on ethical recruitment of migrant workers in Malaysia and Viet Nam.
“Responsible recruitment and forced labour mitigation are integral to the FLA’s work, and the IOM is a valued partner in these efforts. Together, we are committed to ensuring that no worker has to pay recruitment fees to get a job, recruitment debt never prevents a worker from leaving a job, and that no worker risks termination because she is unable or chooses not to work involuntary overtime. Further, we believe that no migrant worker should be prevented from returning home because an employer is withholding a passport, other legal documents, or their wages.”
- Sharon Waxman, President and CEO, Fair Labor Association
IOM has built a partnership with, and received funding support from, the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery (GFEMS) in efforts to reduce prevalence of slavery and trafficking-in-persons. In Viet Nam, IOM implemented Fair International Recruitment Against Slavery and Trafficking (FIRST) project, in partnership with ILO and RBA, which developed strategies and tools to reduce instances of exploitative working conditions, particularly forced labour and debt bondage, experienced by Vietnamese migrant workers. In the Philippines, two projects are currently ongoing: Aligning Lenses Toward Ethical Recruitment (ALTER) project aims to increase access to ethical recruitment channels for overseas Filipino workers by creating an enabling environment for employers and recruiters to commit to and practice those principles, while Improving Migrant and Community Preparation and Awareness to Counter Trafficking (IMPACT) project takes a community-driven, grassroots approach to prevent trafficking and labour exploitation among vulnerable populations in Mindanao region.
"GFEMS is particularly excited to continue our strong partnership with IOM across multiple countries. We have a real opportunity to reduce exploitation throughout the labor migration landscape by empowering stakeholders to practice ethical recruitment and provide safer employment alternatives overseas."
- Stephanir Kenner, Grant Program Associate, GFEMS
As a founding of member of the Institute on Human Rights and Business (IHRB)’s Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, IOM has been collaborating closely with IHRB to promote the Employer Pays Principle. This includes ongoing dialogue and knowledge sharing with the Leadership Group members and joint advocacy with policy makers, employers and labour recruiters in Asia facilitated by IOM teams in the region. More recently, IOM’s CREST team has supported IHRB’s newly established regional chapter of the Leadership Group by providing practical information and tools for companies to protect migrant workers during COVID-19.
"The IHRB Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment has a particular focus on supply chains in South East Asia. We have worked closely with the IOM CREST Programme and consider it to be a key strategic partner in our work promoting the ethical recruitment of migrant workers in the region."
- Neill Wilkins, Head of Migrant Workers Programme, IHRB
Over the last five years, IKEA have done several projects with the IOM to map the recruitment journeys of migrant workers leading to employment at IKEA suppliers in Asia. This deep dive into IKEA’s supply chain included assessments and close to 400 interviews with migrant workers at the suppliers and at recruitment agencies in eight countries of origin of migrant workers and three destinations. The work with IOM was a key building block of IKEA’s human rights due diligence in Asia, highlighting the risks associated with cross-border recruitment and has been serving as a good practice model for other companies and other sectors.
“One of the ways IKEA will become people and planet positive by 2030 is by working to create a positive social impact for everyone across the IKEA value chain, this includes working with others to define fair and responsible recruitment practices and gaining an in-depth understanding of the recruitment journey of migrant workers."
- Kim Lindell, Manager of IKEA Purchasing & Logistics Area South East Asia.
“We are committed to uphold ethical recruitment and employment standards and practices. Our work with IOM is developing our ability to meet these commitments.”
- Kanwarpreet Singh, Sustainability Compliance Manager, IKEA Purchasing & Logistics Area South East Asia
IRIS is a global multi-stakeholder initiative that supports governments, civil society, the private sector and labour recruiters to establish ethical recruitment as a norm in cross-border labour migration. The IRIS Standard and corresponding guidelines serve as a reference point on how to integrate ethical recruitment principles. IRIS’s goal is to make international recruitment fair for everyone involved: migrant workers, employers, recruiters and in countries of origin and destination. As complementary approaches to ethical recruitment and ethical supply chain management, IOM CREST supports the transition towards ethical recruitment in Asia through partnerships with brands and employers to create the ‘demand’ for ethical recruitment services, and with labour recruiters through building the capacity and ‘supply’ of ethical recruiters.
Laudes Foundation and IOM engage in a three-year programme, from 2018 until 2021, to strengthen corporate responsibility to eliminate labour exploitation, modern slavery, and trafficking, facing migrant workers in apparel and home textile supply chains in Asia, particularly in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and Thailand.
As of November 2020, the initiative contributed to enhanced protection of 177,510 migrant workers, increased capacity of 291 recruiters, brands and suppliers on ethical recruitment principles, and increased awareness on modern slavery risks among 50,997 members of the public, and representatives of civil society and the private sector.
For more information, please refer to the project factsheet
Ensuring ethical recruitment and decent working conditions for migrant workers in apparel supply chains requires concerted efforts by brands, suppliers, recruitment agencies, civil society, and policy makers. By working with these diverse set of stakeholders in five apparel producing countries - Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Lao and Vietnam - CREST fashion is playing a vital role to improve the migration experience for workers in Asia.
Under the CREST initiative, the Migrant Forum in Asia, a regional network of migrants and migrants’ rights advocates, working on social justice for migrant workers, and IOM are bringing together their expertise and strong regional presence to work for and with migrant workers. The regional partnership focuses on community-based approaches to enhance migrant workers’ access to ethical recruitment, decent working and living conditions and effective remedy.
"The vulnerabilities of migrant workers exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic only strengthens our conviction and commitment to build back better systems of accountability, transparency, and management of the recruitment process. Some challenges in the recruitment industry are best addressed in cooperation between businesses and civil society. To support our approach to private sector engagement, MFA welcomes this partnership with IOM. "
- William Gois, Regional Coordinator, Migrant Forum in Asia
Building upon the global partnership between IOM and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) forged in 2017, IOM and the RBA Foundation are partnering to promote safe and fair migration through ethical recruitment practices and standards. In 2020, both organizations started implementing a programme to build the capacity of labour recruiters and increasing migrant worker voice through partnerships with civil society organizations in Indonesia, Nepal and Malaysia. In 2019, ILO, IOM and RBA implemented a similar project to promote ethical recruitment in Viet Nam.
"We are pleased to continue our partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as we extend the work of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Foundation through this unique set of activities. Working together, the two organizations can have a tremendous impact on the safe migration of job seekers building on our shared mission."
- Bob Mitchell, Vice-President of Human Rights and Environment, Responsible Business Alliance
The Government of Sweden is a key partner supporting IOM’s CREST initiative in Asia since its launch in 2017. Building on Sweden’s contributions, IOM has been able to develop and pursue a multi-year, regional strategy to forge stronger partnerships with the private sector, carry out research on the situation of migrant workers in supply chains, develop practical toolkits and training programmes for businesses and promote collaborative approaches between businesses, civil society and governments, in order to protect and uphold the rights of migrant workers.
“We are very pleased with this partnership with IOM focusing on the protection of human and labour rights in global supply chains. In Asia, where people are migrating both for economic reasons, but also increasingly due to climate change, enhancement of decent working conditions and ethical recruitment practices will be increasingly important. It fits well with our goal: to contribute to sustainable development by working regionally, through mutual interaction between human rights, democracy, gender equality, environment and climate change.”
- Anne-Charlotte Malm, Head of Development Cooperation for the Asia and Pacific Region, Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand (2017)
The Economist Intelligence Unit supports IOM in analyzing future trends and issues associated with labour migration in Asia. The study examines economic, geopolitical, policy, technological, social, pandemic-related and environmental drivers that are likely to affect future migration patterns in the region and the underlying causes.
“With evidence-based research, the study of future migration trends in Asia aims to support IOM to effectively and accurately respond and prepare for the changes and collaborate with partners to enhance the protection of migrant workers in the supply chains.”
- Peter Kürti, Senior Business Development Manager, North Asia, The Economist Group
In partnership with The Remedy Project, a non-profit organization that aims to revolutionize how migrant workers access remedy within global supply chains through co-creation of non-judicial remediation mechanisms by businesses and worker communities, IOM has developed the Operational Guidelines for Businesses on Remediation of Migrant Worker Grievances. These Guidelines support businesses in designing and implementing remediation programmes in a manner that emphasizes engagement with workers including migrant and minority populations.
“Protect, Respect and Remedy are the three pillars under the Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights. For the Remedy Project, we believe that an effective remediation mechanism requires trust and proactive engagement with the workers. It is a co-creation process engaging different stakeholders with diverse interests. The Operational Guidelines do not intend to replace any state-based relief or existing mechanisms to protect workers but rather seek to strengthen a company’s or industry’s ability to meaningfully dialogue with and engage with workers to identify and resolve human rights grievances whilst also taking the learnings from the process to improve underlying corporate governance gaps that can often result in exploitation.”
- Archana Kotecha, Founder and CEO, The Remedy Project
The partnership supports VF Corporation, its suppliers and associated recruiters in implementing its policy commitments for responsible recruitment and the employer pays principle across its extensive supply chain. As a result, it contributes to the reduction of exploitative and unethical recruitment and labour practices in apparel and footwear supply chains. IOM under its Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST) initiative continue supporting VF in its efforts through the provision of technical input into the policy revision, development of guidelines for ethical recruitment of migrant workers, and capacity building to enable VF to support its suppliers in conducting due diligence on labour recruiters.
“The partnership with IOM is instrumental in enabling us to fulfil our commitment that by 2026 no worker in VF supply chain will pay any recruitment related fees. With the technical support from IOM, we have updated our Facility Guidelines and auditing protocols and formalized a set of guidelines for the ethical and responsible recruitment of migrant workers. Thanks to the capacity building by IOM, our on-the-ground teams have enhanced their understanding of forced labour indicators, migrant worker vulnerabilities and best practice guidance for responsible recruitment. IOM has also supported us in the development of tools to engage with our suppliers in VF pilot project on responsible recruitment and migrant workers called “Your Voice Matters”, using digital solutions for remote impact assessment, more effective communication, and online training for both management and workers in our supply chains.”
- Kyle Bogler, Director – Worker Rights and Safety, Global Responsible Sourcing, VF Corporation and Maria Lassen, Manager – Worker Rights, Global Responsible Sourcing, VF Corporation
In 2019, Walmart engaged with IOM to better understand the scope and scale of migrant labour in Walmart’s supply chains in Thailand and Malaysia. To help build the leadership capacity of suppliers’ facilities and their recruiters on ethical recruitment and migrant worker protection, the project delivered training to increase awareness of responsible recruitment practices and effective actions to improve the recruitment process of migrant workers and decrease the risk of workers exploitation. IOM has trained Walmart’s supplier representatives in Thailand and Malaysia on managing the risks of migrant worker exploitation and trained recruiters on ethical recruitment in Indonesia, Nepal, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
“One of the greatest needs in the society today is related to labour migration. Workers shouldn’t be paying to get a job in another country. Too often, the recruitment process involves them paying large sums of money to get the job in destination country, and these are some of the most vulnerable people in the world. So we feel that tackling that is an important element of our supply chains”.
- Doug Nystorm, Director – ESG, Trust & Transparency (former Director at Human Rights, Walmart)
“The workers are the heart and soul of the company, whether they are migrant or local. We treat them the same because they are the one who make it happens.”
- Alisa Phurkwattanagul, Marine Gold Products (Walmart Supplier)
Amazon is partnering with the IOM Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST), a regional initiative that supports companies in upholding the human and labour rights of migrant workers, to develop critical supplier training to address recruitment practices harmful to migrant workers. To this end, in 2020, Amazon partnered with IOM to conduct research on the legal frameworks governing labour migration, challenges and vulnerabilities of migrant workers, and make recommendations for a phase-wise mitigation plan. IOM also delivered a tailored training program for suppliers in Japan supporting employers in identifying, assessing and mitigating specific risks to migrant workers. In Bangladesh, Amazon supported IOM with the distribution of medical supplies and COVID-19 related resources for frontline doctors, nurses, and medical workers operating in the largest refugee camp in the world.
Since the beginning of 2021, the Federal Republic of Germany, through the Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, and IOM have partnered to implement a project “Enhancing Business Capacity to Address Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in International Supply Chains”. This partnership aims to enhance capacity of businesses in Viet Nam to uphold the rights of migrant workers and address risks of human trafficking and forced labour in operations and supply chains. To this end, IOM will develop an online training programme on forced labour and human trafficking to raise awareness about international standards on business and human rights, vulnerabilities of different groups of workers, as well as how to improve own policies, procedures and business practices.
“The Federal Republic of Germany recently passed the Law on Corporate Diligence in Supply Chain, which obliges large companies in Germany to conduct a due diligence not only in their own business area, but with a view to the entire supply chains regarding human rights. In an increasingly complex and intertwined business environment it can be difficult for companies to ensure that they meet all their commitments.
The German Consulate is therefore proud to partner with IOM, which has developed the online training program “Enhancing Business Capacity to Address Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in International Supply Chains”. The training programme provides an excellent tool for companies to strengthen their capacities and take responsibility to respect human rights in all steps of the production process by identifying possible gaps and developing transparent, fair and sustainable supply chains that respect human rights in all stages of production.”
- Dr. Josefine Wallat, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany
Since 2018, based on the expert advice, technical support, and training delivered by IOM, management and human resources managers of Panasonic Group Companies in Malaysia formulated policies and standard operating procedures for the ethical recruitment and employment of international migrant workers. Through identifying and remediating issues by checking the on-site operational status of policies and manuals, they are working to establish compliance related to labour and human rights.
“Our partnership with IOM enabled us to strengthen our commitment to respecting the human rights of migrant workers. IOM's advice, based on its first-hand knowledge of the migrant worker recruitment corridor, has been a valuable guide for our group companies in Malaysia by increasing their understanding and awareness of ethical recruitment and employment.”
- Shigeki Mishima, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Since 2020, Hyatt has been collaborating with IOM to promote the human and labour rights of migrant workers in recruitment, especially in high-risk migration corridors in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Asia. In 2022, Hyatt expanded its collaboration with IOM (through its membership in the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance) through its flagship Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST) initiative, which supports businesses in upholding the human and labour rights of migrant workers in key sectors and migration corridors in Asia. As part of the initiative, all Hyatt hotels in Hong Kong as well as their associated recruitment agencies conducted a pilot Labour Migration Process Mapping using IOM’s bespoke methodology and advisory support. This includes completing a self-assessment to provide more information on their migrant labour workforce, recruitment practices and use of recruitment agencies. The assessment intends to provide participating hotels with a better understanding of the labour migration process for their migrant workers from the Philippines and Viet Nam and identify the specific risks that could make them vulnerable to forced labour and exploitation. The overarching objectives of these assessments are to identify (1) systemic challenges including regulatory gaps and (2) sector-specific risks that will inform ethical recruitment policy reform and the development of due diligence tools on ethical recruitment for the hospitality industry.
“Hyatt respects the fundamental human rights of all people, as embodied in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We manage our business in line with this belief and strive to foster similar ideas in those with whom we do business. These principles align with Hyatt’s purpose to care for people so they can be their best. We are committed to taking actionable steps to prevent the use of Hyatt hotels for human trafficking and slavery, and to raising awareness concerning such exploitation wherever Hyatt hotels are located. Partnering with organizations like IoM, helps Hyatt gain insights and address potential risks related to human rights and forced labor in the hospitality industry.”
- Jessica Schultz, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Hyatt