Abstract
Promoting the rights of labour migrants and strengthening the sustainable development impacts of labour mobility schemes is a key component of decent work. The ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries has published a summary report reviewing Australia's Seasonal Worker Programme and New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme through the lens of international human rights and labour standards. Within this scope, the report also includes recommendations on promoting the participation of women and marginalized groups. The objective of the summary report is to provide an overview of how seasonal worker schemes in Australia and New Zealand align with international labour standards – both binding and nonbinding – and to provide constructive recommendations for areas where the schemes could be more consistent with these standards. The findings and recommendations outlined in the summary report will be expanded upon in a more detailed technical report. The report was undertaken as part of the Pacific Climate Change Migration and Human Security (PCCMHS) Programme. The PCCMHS programme is implemented by ILO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) along with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD). The PCCMHS programme receives funding through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security and components of the programme are supported by the New Zealand International Development Cooperation Programme.