President of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU), Bernard DeNully will join stakeholders from across the region who are meeting in Barbados this week to discuss a migration policy for CARICOM.
The occasion is the Bi-Partite consultation of Caribbean Workers’ and Employers’ organisations on the development of a regional Labour Migration Policy Framework and Action Programme that takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday in Bridgetown.
The literature for the consultation explained that in recognizing the importance of addressing migration comprehensively, CARICOM Heads of Government called for the development of a regional migration policy in February 2019. In response to this mandate, the Regional Approach to Migration Policy (RAMP) initiative was launched in 2022. Since then, a draft framework document has been prepared and subjected to several rounds of review and revision, benefitting from inputs of the CARICOM institutions and a UN Advisory body.
The current draft of the CARICOM Migration Policy Framework (CMPF) addresses various aspects of migration, giving priority to border governance, justice and protection, migration and economic development, and labour migration, alongside cross-cutting issues like climate change.
Within the context of the development of the CMPF, the ILO is providing technical assistance at the request of the CARICOM Secretariat CARICOM Single Market & Economy (CSME) Unit, to develop a customised regional Labour Migration Policy Framework and Plan of Action/Work Programme, which will be aligned with and expand upon the labour aspects of the broader CMPF.
A crucial input for this policy development is the report of the CARICOM Labour Market Assessment, which is being conducted with ILO Technical Assistance. This assessment, launched in January 2025, is designed to provide evidence-based insights into economic, employment, labour, and migration dynamics, including the effects of climate change and patterns of labour mobility. It aims to analyse both the supply and demand sides of the labour market, equity aspects, and existing policy/institutional frameworks. The assessment report was expected to be finalized in June 2025.
