PH Best Practice in Migration and Development Highligthed at IOM Summer School on Migration Studies in České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Participants of the IOM Summer School 2015
České Budějovice—The Philippine case was highlighted in the Summer School on Migration Studies 2015 organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), whcich was held from 17 to 22 August 2015 in cooperation with the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
First Secretary and Consul Juan E. Dayang, Jr. of the Philippine Embassy in Prague was invited to present the Philippine Case on Migration and Development where he chose to highlight PH government policies and operation in protecting the rights of migrant workers and in promoting migrants’ welfare from pre-departure, on-site, and return and reintegration. He also facilitated the group discussions for the 5-day program, which was attended by 70 participants from 40 countries.
Consul Dayang, whose doctoral thesis at the Australian National University focused on “Consular Diplomacy”, also showed the documentary film titled “Tale of a Journey: Migrant Health Workers’ Voice through images”, a film made by the International Labor Organization’s Decent Work across Borders (DWAB) project and funded by the European Union in partnership with the Asia Pacific Film Institute. The film narrates stories of Filipino nurses in their journey to work in Europe including their education and preparation, recruitment, pre-departure orientation, and adjustment to the living conditions in the foreign country.
After the presentation, there was a lively Q&A session where participants asked questions about the government’s role in the recruitment process, the bilateral agreements, and how Filipino health workers prepare for the language requirements of their host countries.
The speakers included Prof. J.C. Mutchler of University of Arizona, Anna Platonova from IOM Brussels, Salim Murad from the European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations (EMMIR) , Prof. Dusan Drbohlav of Charles University Prague, Prof. Michal Vašečka from Masaryk University in Brno, and Jiří Pehe from University of New York in Prague, among others.
The program is designed for students and professionals in the field of migration from 40 countries. The multidisciplinary approach of the Summer School combined both theoretical and empirical examples of good practice presented by Czech and international academics, activists, and representatives of governments, international organizations, and NGOs.
END
Consul Dayang with African partipant Erik Opuke Ware and organizers Prof. Salim Murad of EMMIR, University of South Bohemia and Jan Schroth of IOM Czech Republic.
