December 2016 – December 2019

Migrante Europe’s GPOA will be for three years to coincide with the next Congress. Generally, the impetus is on heightening the understanding and awareness of Migrante Europe’s principles as expressed in its Constitution.

Furthermore Migrante Europe has the following general objectives:

1. Promote migrants’ and refugees’ rights against all forms of discrimination, exploitation in the workplace and in the community and resist all anti-im/migrant policies.
2. Assert the right to organise through sharing expertise, best practices, knowledge and skills of migrants organising in Europe.
3. Serve as a regional campaign centre that plans to address regional issues of migrants and refugees, notwithstanding the support and solidarity with local issues in host countries.
4. Serve as regional campaign centre to address major Philippines issues, especially those directing affecting Filipino migrants and refugees in Europe and their families.
5. Strengthen unity among overseas Filipinos and rally their families and advocates towards upholding and promoting migrant and refugee rights and welfare.
6. Push for the building of a self-reliant economy in the Philippines in order to stop forced migration; promote social equity and justice; and unite with other sectors of society for the advancement of national development and democracy.
7. Build solidarity with migrant organisations of other nationalities and peoples.

In order to achieve these objectives, the following undertakings shall be implemented by all member organisations of Migrante Europe:

GENERAL PLAN OF ACTION:

Education and Information

1. Ensure that proceedings of the Congress are published and made available to all member organisations. The Constitution and GPOA should serve as educational resources to unite the member organisations and individuals.
2. Make use of our existing website to upload these resources and other relevant information such regional or international issues for the knowledge and information of all members.

Campaign, Lobbying and Mobilisations

1. Determine issues and launch co-ordinated campaigns on a regional level.

The following issues and concerns are highlighted (of which possible campaigns at a regional level may be mounted):

• Protection and promotion of labour and human rights of undocumented migrant workers and a call to stop their criminalisation.
• Making use of UN and EU related conventions such as the ILO convention on domestic workers, the International Convention for the Protection of Rights and Welfare of Migrant Workers and their Families and other ILO conventions in order to aid in our campaign and government lobbying for their ratification and implementation.
• Concerns regarding the unsatisfactory, if not absent service from consulate and embassies in the region. These are aggravated by ineffective policies relating to OFW welfare benefits and services (such as the OWWA omnibus policies).
• Red letter days where regionally co-ordinated campaings and actions may be called:
  
  – 14 February: One Billion Rising Revolution
  
  – 8 March: International Women’s Day
  
  – 1 May: International Workers’ Day
  
  – 17 May: International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia
  
  – 20 June: UN Refugees Day
  
  – 10 December: International Human Rights Day
  
  – 18 December: International Migrants Day
• Engaging with thematic issues such as Employment Rights, Remittance and Development, Immigration and Refugee Rights and Welfare, Modern Slavery and Trafficking, Globalisation, Violence against Women Migrants, Health, Family and Social Costs of Migration.

2. Support campaigns of member organisations politically and organizationally. E.g. drafting of protest statements, making of documentaries, representations with members of parliament, etc.

Adopt member organisations’ local campaigns for support and in order to strengthen and advance the co-ordination between the member organisations, Migrante Europe and other stakeholders.

Each member organisation shall plan its own activities and campaigns to contribute to regionally or internationally co-ordinated ones.

International Advocacy and Solidarity with other migrant and refugee communities and other organisations

1. Attend regional meetings and conferences to propel our issues and concerns and projecting Migrante Europe in different broad platforms and audiences.
2. Establish alliances with social and civil society organisations to build a broad united front for upholding and promoting migrant and refugee rights and welfare.

Organisation and Administration

1. Expand the membership of Migrante Europe.
2. Hold conferential meetings and/or facilitate exchanges to share best practices and experiences in aspects of our advocacy and ensure timely reports from member organisations.
3. Draw a working budget for the implementation of Migrante Europe’s programme and plans.
4. Devise a means for easy and fast exchanges of information and dissemination of the same to all members.