Ship to Shore Rights in South-East Asia – Safe migration for decent work in the blue economy

The blue economy is an important source of employment in South-East Asia. Asia is home to more than 19 million fish farmers and 30 million fishers, accounting for 84% of all people employed in the two sectors worldwide. In some countries of Asia, the blue economy constitutes as much as 20% of GDP, and an estimated 625 million people in the region depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. In recent decades, the ASEAN labour market in the fishing, seafood processing and aquaculture sectors has shifted dramatically in response to the region’s rapid social and economic development. Migrant workers now fill a substantial share of these jobs because of the reluctance of nationals to pursue work which is often viewed as low-paid, physically demanding and hazardous. Although substantial improvements have been achieved in recent years, major decent work deficits persist in the region’s blue economy. Migrant workers in the fishing industry are substantially more likely to experience workplace injuries, situations of forced labour and other labour rights abuses. In the seafood processing industry, women often face discriminatory social norms and are subject to gender wage gaps, violence and harassment, and termination of employment based upon pregnancy. Many aquacultural workers experience problems with informality and lack of legal status, excluding them from labour and social protection coverage. In response to these critical challenges, the International Labour Organization is implementing “Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia: Safe Migration for Decent Work in the Blue Economy”, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and Food and Agriculture Organization. The four-year programme (2025-2028) will be executed in the target countries of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand, as well as at the regional level in ASEAN. The overall objective of the Ship to Shore Rights South-East Asia programme is to promote safe migration and decent work for a sustainable fish and seafood supply chain, including capture fisheries, aquaculture, and post-harvest processing. To realize this goal, the initiative strengthens regional and bilateral cooperation within ASEAN to ensure safe migration and decent work. It enhances migration, labour, and fisheries governance by supporting national authorities in designing and enforcing robust legal and policy frameworks. The project activities support corporate accountability and responsible business practices through greater transparency, due diligence, and engagement with worker and civil society organizations. Migrant workers are empowered to assert their labour and human rights through worker organizing and expanded access to information and services.

Project symbol

RAS/24/07/EUR

Admin unit

RO-Asia and the Pacific

Start date

01/01/2025

End date

31/12/2028

Total allocation

4354221

Total expenditure

Status

Active

2400774

Development Partners

Delegation of the European Union to Thailand

Country/Countries

Asia and the Pacific - regional
Thailand
Philippines
Malaysia
Cambodia
Myanmar
Indonesia

Outcomes

Outcome 6: Protection at work for all