23 session of UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their families |08 September 2015
Seychelles presents initial state party report
The Government of Seychelles attended the 23rd session of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their families to present its Initial State Party Report under the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and their families’.
The session took place on September 2-3, 2015 in Geneva.
Seychelles became a party to the Convention in 1994, with the instrument entering into effect for Seychelles in 2003.
One of the obligations under the Convention is that Seychelles should report periodically on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention.
The reporting process is an important process that allows Seychelles to assess itself on the areas in which it has made progress, and to identify the short-comings and challenges that may exist.
Leading the delegation representing Seychelles’ first report under this convention was the Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development (MLHRD), Idith Alexander, who addressed the Committee affirming that “the government safeguards the rights of all workers in Seychelles, including migrant workers and those in the Seychelles International Trade Zone, and guarantees that they enjoy the same rights, terms and conditions of employment.
She went on to note that “migrant workers contribute significantly to the national development of Seychelles, not just in an economic and monetary manner, but also in terms of enriching our cultural diversity”, especially in view that a significant portion of the country’s labour force is composed of migrant workers.
The Committee commended Seychelles for the determined strides made so far by the government in implementing the Convention and promoting and protecting the rights of Migrant Workers and their Families, and suggested that Seychelles could be used as a model for other countries to follow. One of the areas the Committee recommended that Seychelles improve upon is its oversight upon Seychellois living and working abroad, including statistics on them.
The government looks forward to continued collaboration with the Committee in further improving its protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers and their families in Seychelles.
Seychelles’ next periodic report under the Convention will be due in five years.
Other members of the delegation comprised Veronique Bresson, chairperson of Committee on Employment of Non-Seychellois; Susan Morel from the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development ; Gayethri Murugaiyan from the Foreign Affairs department; George Thachett from the Attorney General’s Office; and Myriam Telemaque from the Immigration Division.