IOM and Madagascar’s Ministry of Employment have formally launched the implementation of an 18-month initiative aimed at strengthening labour migration management in Madagascar.

Madagascar continues to face a challenging socio-economic situation. Over the last five years, the UN estimates that nearly 336,000 jobs or 30% of the formal employment sector has been lost.

This has led an increasing number of Malagasy nationals to look for opportunities abroad. International labour migration is increasingly recognized as a short- to medium-term coping strategy that can bring potential development gains, both for the migrants themselves and their communities of origin.

IOM will support the Ministry of Employment in the implementation of its labour migration strategy by assisting with the practical implementation of the policy, and by strengthening the country’s capacity in the area of bilateral labour migration engagements.

Activities will include capacity building sessions for stakeholders on concepts of labour migration; the realization of a comprehensive labour migration assessment; an international study-tour to showcase proven experience of South-South mobility and bilateral engagement; and provision of support to stakeholders to develop guidelines for negotiating labour agreements in ways that ensures migrants’ rights are protected.

IOM opened an office in Madagascar in October 2014 and currently implements activities in the fields of counter-trafficking, labour migration, and migration and health. Migration for development is one of the main cross-cutting themes in IOM’s work.