18 September | 09:00-10:15 ICT

Fair Trade, Fair Work: Rethinking human rights and labour migration in the context of global value chains

Organized by:

UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Background

Labour migration is central to the functioning of economies and societies, shaping both markets and communities across borders. But aside from serving to address labour and skills shortages and gaps in various markets, labour migration also acts as a transnational force that actively shapes the way industries, supply chains, and societies function. Set against this backdrop, migrant workers are not peripheral actors when it comes to global value chains; rather, these workers are pivotal to their very operation. Yet a paradox persists: while their contributions sustain sectors ranging from agriculture and construction through to shipping and care work, migrant workers remain among the most at risk of business-related human rights abuses, including forced labour, exploitative recruitment practices, wage theft, and contract substitution. Access to effective remedies also remains elusive for many migrant workers – including women and Indigenous workers – as well as their families.

By reflecting on the challenging realities faced by both land- and sea-based migrant workers, this session invites participants to rethink how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) should be applied to ensure that the rights of migrant workers are placed at the centre of corporate practices and government policies. Speakers will discuss how governments, businesses, migrant workers, and other rightsholders can co-create safe and fair pathways for migration, grounded in migrant-responsive human rights due diligence (HRDD) and access to remedy across borders and along value chains.

Key Objectives

Challenge prevailing myths and assumptions about migrant workers and labour migration in the Asia-Pacific region.
Examine how migrant-responsive human rights due diligence and access to effective remedies can be designed and implemented to address the human rights risks faced by land- and sea-based migrant workers.
Explore collaborative approaches among governments, businesses and rightsholders, including migrant workers themselves, to ensure safe and fair labour migration that strengthens human rights protections and value-chain resilience.

Guiding Questions

How can we rethink prevailing assumptions about migrant workers to recognize them as central to shaping global value chains and the future of work?
What does migrant-responsive human rights due diligence look like in practice, particularly in cross-border contexts where human rights risks are heightened and access to remedy can be limited?
How can governments, businesses and rightsholders, including migrant workers themselves, collaborate more effectively to ensure safe, orderly and regulation labour migration pathways?

Format