Sectoral Policies Department TO ALL MEMBER STATES OF THE ILO
T: +41 22 799 61 41
E:
[email protected]
R: MA 28-0-2-100
19 September 2025
Meeting of Experts on Guidelines for Fair Labour Market Services for Migrant Fishers
(Geneva, 27-31 October 2025)
Dear Sir or Madam,
In accordance with the decision taken by the Governing Body at its 353rd Session (March 2025),
it is my pleasure to invite your Government to nominate an observer to participate in the
Meeting of Experts on Guidelines for Fair Labour Market Services for Migrant Fishers. The meeting
will be held at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, from
Monday, 27 October to Friday, 31 October 2025.
Purpose
The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss and adopt guidelines for fair labour market
services for migrant fishers. The draft guidelines may include guidance for all relevant
stakeholders in terms of recruitment processes, work agreements, complaint procedures,
enforcement measures and other essential aspects aimed at ensuring fair treatment,
safeguarding the rights of migrant fishers and supporting employers to recruit and retain a
suitable skilled workforce.
Background documents
The Office is preparing, in English, French and Spanish, draft guidelines on fair labour market
services for migrant fishers, which will serve as a basis for consideration and discussion by the
meeting. The initial sections of the draft guidelines set out the background in which they are
framed, their purpose and scope, and definitions. The subsequent sections are structured
according to the addressee of the relevant recommendations, such as flag States, States in the
territory of which relevant recruitment and placement services operate, States of which
migrant fishers are nationals or resident or otherwise domiciled in their territory, port States,
coastal States, labour recruiters, fishing vessel owners and migrant fishers.
The draft guidelines will be shared electronically with all experts, advisers and observers five
weeks prior to the start of the meeting, and will also be posted on the meeting webpage
where other meeting-related documents will also be made available.
2.
Composition
The meeting will be composed of 24 experts: eight Employer experts and eight Worker experts
nominated by the Employers’ and Workers’ groups of the Governing Body, respectively, and
eight experts nominated by the following governments: 1 Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, the
Philippines, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and
the United States of America. Should any of these governments decline to nominate an expert,
a government from the reserve list 2 will be invited to do so.
In addition to the eight government experts, the meeting will be open to interested
governments who may attend as observers (one observer per government). 3
Selected official international organizations, as well as non-governmental international
organizations, will also be invited to participate in the meeting as observers.
Accreditation
If your Government wishes to participate in this meeting, kindly send a letter of nomination
before Friday, 17 October 2025 with the name, title and e-mail address of your Government
observer by e-mail to
[email protected]. Please indicate in the communication whether
the participant will attend in-person or remotely.
When making these nominations, your Government is invited to bear in mind the resolutions
adopted by the International Labour Conference, calling upon members to include a greater
number of women in their delegations to ILO meetings, as well as the applicable resolutions
and targets of the United Nations concerning the promotion of gender balance.
Interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French and Spanish.
Travel arrangements
In keeping with the Standing Orders for meetings of experts, travel and subsistence expenses of
government observers will be payable by the governments concerned. Please note that the
Office neither supplies insurance coverage nor accepts any liability for a participant’s claim in
connection with an accident or a medical disorder arising before, during or after the meeting.
Participants are therefore responsible for obtaining adequate insurance coverage before
travelling for the entire duration of the meeting, including time spent travelling to and from
the event. Participants are kindly advised to only travel when in good health.
Visas and accommodation
I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that if participants require entry visas for
Switzerland, which is part of the Schengen area, they will need to be obtained in their
respective countries well in advance of their departure.
Regarding accommodation, please note that the Office is not equipped to make reservations
for hotel accommodation. A list of hotels offering preferential rates for participants in ILO
meetings can be furnished upon request to the Office.
1
In accordance with the decision of the Governing Body at its 353rd Session (March 2025):
GB.353/POL/3/Decision.
2
The list of governments in reserve: Argentina, France, Namibia, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Senegal
and Thailand.
3
Standing Orders for meetings of experts, adopted by the Governing Body of the ILO at its 334th Session
(October-November 2018).
3.
Delegates with disabilities
The ILO recognizes that social justice and decent work for all can be realized only if persons
with disabilities are fully and meaningfully included in the world of work. In this context, the
ILO strives to lead by example at the meetings it hosts and organizes. Should your nominated
observer require any assistance in this regard, kindly address your request to
[email protected].
We look forward to receiving a positive reply from your Government.
Yours sincerely,
For the Director-General:
Frank Hagemann
Director
Sectoral Policies Department
Saatja: "ILO-BIT-OIT" <
[email protected]>
Saaja: "ILO-BIT-OIT" <
[email protected]>
Teema: Meeting of Experts on Guidelines for Fair Labour Market Services for Migrant Fishers (Geneva, 27-31 October 2025)
Kuupäev: 2025-09-19 12:54
Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga.
Tundmatu saatja korral palume linke ja faile mitte avada.
Governments of Member States of the International Labour Organization are
requested to find attached an important communication concerning the Meeting
of Experts on Guidelines for Fair Labour Market Services for Migrant
Fishers.
Please do not reply to this email.
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