Management Response

: Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Thailand)
: 2020 - 2021 , Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Thailand) (RO)
: Mid-term Evaluation of the Safe and Fair - Joint Regional Spotlight on EVAW programme
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: Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Thailand)
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Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region (2018 – 2022) is part of the Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, a global, multi-year initiative between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN). The ILO and UN Women are implementing the project, in collaboration with UNODC, with the overriding objective of ensuring that labour migration is safe and fair for all women in the ASEAN region. Immediately following the Inception Phase from January-September 2018 the programme undertook an Evaluability Assessment to ensure that the programme design met minimum standards for monitoring and evaluation, by assessing a set of design-specific aspects prior to implementation defined as “evaluability”. The Evaluability Assessment recommended that the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) be conducted slightly later than the exact mid-way point of the programme (mid 2020), given the 9-month Inception Phase. The Mid Term Evaluation was undertaken from January –August 2021. This is the Management Response to the Recommendations of the MTE. ILO and UN Women, in discussion with UNODC, welcome the findings, conclusions and recommendations of this midterm independent evaluation. The Safe and Fair Regional Management Team was pleased to note the overall evaluation finding that Safe and Fair is addressing a critical need to bring together gender equality, anti-trafficking and labour migration actors to end violence against women migrant workers and is filling important gaps with respect to protecting the rights of women migrant workers to a life free from violence. The Regional Management Team noted that there are further opportunities for increased synergies with other UN labour migration programmes in the region and engaging men and families as key players in providing direct support to women migrant workers throughout their migration journey, including before and after occurrences of violence. The Regional Management Team also noted the finding that the programme successfully encouraged the active engagement of women migrant workers and has provided opportunities for them to use their voices and better connect with each other. The support to women’s networks and unions for women migrant workers will continue to further foster their empowerment. The Safe and Fair Programme has generated significant knowledge on violence against women migrant workers, gender and labour migration, and overall rights of women migrant workers that has helped to raise awareness of the rights of women migrant workers and further target its programming. The Regional Management Team also acknowledges and supports the stakeholders’ interest in a stronger regional approach to further promote cross-country knowledge exchange and stakeholder networking. Safe and Fair has addressed a wide range of women migrant worker needs, including shifting needs because of COVID-19, across origin and destination countries. Safe and Fair has effectively contributed towards strengthening legislation and governance frameworks to protect the rights of women migrant workers, including when they experience violence. The Safe and Fair Programme has strengthened the capacity of service providers to respond to the needs of women migrant workers and has increased access to essential services across their migration journey. Safe and Fair will continue to harness and strengthen its established partnerships and collaborations with women migrant workers, ASEAN Member States’ government authorities, ASEAN institutions, and workers’, employers’ organisations, civil society and community-based organizations at the national and regional level. The Regional Management Team notes that the Safe and Fair Programme reflects strong joint programming and UN Reform principles that facilitate achieving results that are greater than the sum of its parts with room to improve the efficiency of the joint working arrangements as well as the monitoring and reporting of joint results. The Regional Management Team also acknowledges the evaluation observations of challenges in collecting disaggregated and intersectional data on violence against women and labour migration, Communication for Development (C4D), and direct-targeted engagement of men as allies. Through the programme and the midterm evaluation, Safe and Fair has gained important insights around these challenges that can be applied to the remainder of the programme and to future programming on safe and fair migration. (due to space limitation full text available in report)
: Approved
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 1. STRENGTHEN THE REGIONAL DIMENSIONS OF THE PROGRAMME (FROM THE MTE)
Management Response: The Safe and Fair Regional Management Team acknowledges the recommendation to strengthen the regional dimensions of the programme to further promote cross-country knowledge exchange and stakeholder networking. Due to the cross-border mobility of women migrant workers and the fact that their migration experience spans both countries of origin and destination, it is essential for labour migration programming to occur at the regional level in order to facilitate networking and synergies of stakeholders and service providers across countries with the aim of supporting a woman migrant worker throughout her entire migration journey. Safe and Fair will continue to harness and strengthen its established partnerships and collaborations with women migrant workers organizations, ASEAN Member States’ government authorities, ASEAN institutions, workers’ and employers’ organizations, civil society, community-based and women’s organizations at the national and regional level.
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Description: To operationalize this recommendation: ? Enhance knowledge exchange between stakeholders from across origin and destination countries and actively share the knowledge products produced by the programme by creating an easily accessible public online document repository and informing stakeholders on to how to access the documentation. ? Facilitate knowledge exchange between stakeholders from across origin and destination countries by organizing online knowledge exchange events that bring together stakeholders from similar groups or with similar interests to promote cooperation and strengthen referral systems. This should be integrated within the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative’s knowledge management structure to the greatest extent possible. ? Promote information-exchange and networking between NPACs across countries by organizing thematic events among NPAC members to share knowledge and experiences on specific issues. ? Continue to research and share information on the needs of women migrant workers across their migration journey and the services that are available to women migrant workers in both origin and destination countries. ? Continue working on and promoting labour migration policy harmonization across ASEAN countries while acknowledging that policy harmonization is a large-scale and long-term goal that the programme can contribute towards. ? Ensure that any subsequent programme phases continue to leverage the added value of the regional dimensions of the programme.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Translate and actively share the knowledge products produced by the programme with all relevant stakeholders including through strengthening the online document repository and ensuring materials are uploaded on COSI Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and National Project Coordinators (NPCs) 2022/12 Completed The existing online document repository are made more user-friendly and accessible.
2. Organize online cross-border knowledge exchange events (webinars) to discuss specific technical issues such as domestic workers rights, reducing costs of migration, using technology for service delivery, training on hotline responders and strengthen referral systems on violence among others Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 Completed Safe and Fair has already been organising cross-border and multi-country discussions starting in the fourth quarter of 2020. These moderated discussions complement ongoing cross-border exchanges and dialogues (Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs), embassies, CSO networks, frontline service providers). As the programme draws to an end in 2023, the programme will facilitate more cross-border knowledge exchange opportunities to share lessons learned.
3. Organize online thematic events (webinars) among NPAC members to share knowledge and experiences on specific issues Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 Completed Members of the NPAC include governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations and CSOs. In the webinars being organized (Point 2), all stakeholders are invited to some webinars and there will be targeted webinar for specific stakeholders depending on the topic of the webinar. The topic included quality coordinated services, violence against women migrant workers administrative data, safe use of technologies in service provisions.
4. Continue with the research studies in the pipeline and disseminate and discuss these thematic priorities ● standard employment contracts focusing on domestic work; ● experiences of violence among women migrant workers; ● conditions of women migrant workers in the manufacturing sectors; ● research on women migrant workers' help seeking behaviours; ● perceptions and attitudes towards LGBTQI+ migrants and linkages with exploitation and violence – SOGI identity and implications for labour migrants Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 Completed Safe and Fair conducted the research on the experiences of women migrant workers in Thailand, from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Lao PDR.
5. Ongoing technical support to governments and/or ASEAN on draft policy, accountability tools and legislation that aim to prevent and respond to violence against women migrant workers and trafficking Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 Completed SAF provided technical support to the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Ending Violence against Women (RPA) mid-term review and to gender-responsive and violence against women (VAW)-inclusive legal reviews and law and policy formulations/revisions. Safe and Fair supported the gender and labour migration law review activity of ASEAN Committee on Migrant Workers (ACMW) which would further help in identifying areas of policy harmonisation within ASEAN. Safe and Fair supported the process of developing ASEAN Regional Guidelines on National Standard Operating Procedures.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 2. INCREASE PROGRAMMING EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN THE IMMEDIATE SUPPORT NETWORK (I.E. HUSBANDS AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS) OF WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS (FROM MTE)
Management Response: The evaluation’s focus group discussions with women migrant workers have revealed a strong interest in engaging husbands and other family members in pre-departure orientation sessions in order to further sensitize them on the realities of labour migration and to develop increased empathy towards their migration experience. Therefore, the Safe and Fair Regional Management Team welcomes this recommendation with the caveat that part of the reason why the programme has not actively engaged these first responders is due to its focus on the direct empowerment of women migrant workers and the potential risks of engaging men and male family members who are among the perpetrators of violence. Also as pre departure trainings are meant for departing migrants, it is not possible to include others in the training. It should also be noted that in countries of origin men and community members are target groups for services and information sharing through MRCs, civil society organizations (CSOs) and peer networks.
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Description: To operationalize this recommendation: ? Refocus programming efforts to better target husbands and other family members at the community level so that they can better support women migrant workers throughout the migration journey. This could include engaging husbands and other family members in the pre-departure information sessions or conducting separate family orientation sessions, informing husbands and other family members of services available to women migrant workers throughout their migration journey, and engaging husbands and family members in post-migration community dialogue sessions upon return. These information and sensitization sessions should focus on capacitating husbands and other family members to better support women migrant workers throughout their migration journey as well as target negative attitudes and behaviour to reduce domestic violence against women migrant workers within their communities of origin. ? Include a focus of the programme’s communications campaign on addressing negative biases and perceptions against women migrant workers among family and community members in origin communities to promote the rights of women migrant workers and facilitate the prevention of domestic and community violence against women migrant workers. These efforts should ideally contain C4D programming elements to encourage actionable behaviour change.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continue sharing of information including service directories on available VAW services, and sensitisation outreach with men migrant workers and members of communities through MRCs, CSOs and peer networks Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and Safe and Fair National Project Coordinators (NPCs) 2022/12 Completed Some of the recommendations contained in the report are not resource neutral or within the framework of the existing programme. The programme management team initiated resource mobilization efforts for a next phase of the programme, building on those recommendations and reorienting the programme approach.
2. Continue to build capacities of civil society and community-based organizations on enhancing their community outreach, including through social media Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and Safe and Fair National Project Coordinators (NPCs) 2022/12 Completed SAF continued to build the capacities of civil society and community-based organizations on community outreach; upcoming capacity-building activities will also be made available to male migrant workers in countries of destination, and to men and families in countries of origin.
3. SAF will continue focus of the programme’s communications campaign on addressing negative biases/stereotypes and perceptions against women migrant workers, with targeted messages and efforts in countries origin to families, and among community members to prevent violence against women migrant workers. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and NPCs 2022/12 Completed Since 2018, SAF conducted outreach activities to address the harmful stereotypes of women migrant behavior. SAF continued to focus on integrating targeted messages into its communications efforts to counter negative community perceptions and attitudes towards women migrant workers, especially in countries of origin.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 3. FURTHER STRATEGICALLY TARGET THE PROGRAMME’S COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN TO MORE EFFECTIVELY INFLUENCE CHANGES IN SOCIAL ATTITUDES AND INTEGRATE C4D ELEMENTS TO INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR CHANGE WHERE FEASIBLE (FROM MTE)
Management Response: The Regional Management Team notes that while it would not be feasible to invest heavily in integrating C4D across programming at this point in the Safe and Fair Programme, also keeping in mind the MTE observation regarding limitations in staffing dedicated to communications, the team will identify opportunities where more targeted communications work could take place and certain C4D elements could be integrated. The possibility of reallocation of resources to ensure sufficient investment in this work will be looked at. It is also worth noting that in the long-term C4D ultimately aims to promote behavioral change, which is a strategy that could be adopted for the programme to go beyond December 2022.
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Description: To operationalize this recommendation: ? Target a small number of specific stakeholder groups whose changes in attitudes and behaviours will likely have a direct effect on the lives of women migrant workers. This could include employers, recruiters, and/or families and community members in origin communities, among others. ? Define the specific behaviour change that is sought from targeted communications campaigns and integrate C4D programming elements, where feasible. The programme should draw on the open source C4D labour migration tools developed by IOM X wherever possible. ? Modify the measurement indicators in the results framework for Outcome #3 to measure changes in social attitudes and behaviour change among stakeholders of the targeted communications campaigns. ? Continue using celebrity champions to raise awareness of the rights of women migrant workers and violence committed against them. ? Allocate additional resources where necessary to further target the communications campaign and add C4D elements.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Consider including specific target groups such as service providers in measuring attitudes in the endline survey. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and NPCs 2022/12 No Longer Applicable Since the programme has limited duration left, behavioural change where possible will be measured but it is not likely that this can be measured meaningfully in the limited period especially also in the context of the pandemic. Furthermore, since the baseline surveys in 2018 did not include service providers, the endline survey will only be able to capture self-assessment of changes in their attitudes.
2. SAF will explore using IOMX’s C4D tools in future communications initiatives as relevant. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and NPCs 2022/12 Completed The programme applied the C4D approach in the ASEAN Regional Campaign on Ending Gender-based Workplace Exploitation.
3. Continue using celebrity champions to raise awareness of the rights of women migrant workers and violence committed against them. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team and NPCs 2022/12 Completed Efforts to identify, and engage with influencers continued.
4. Resource allocation will be considered for the communications campaign and C4D elements, as feasible in the COVID-19 context. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 4. FURTHER COLLABORATE WITH OTHER UN LABOUR MIGRATION PROGRAMMES ACROSS THE REGION TO PROMOTE ENHANCED SYNERGIES AROUND ENGAGING RECRUITERS AND EMPLOYERS AND PROVIDING FINANCIAL TRAINING AND BUSINESS SUPPORT TO RETURNING WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS (FROM MTE)
Management Response: The Regional Management Team agrees that there are promising opportunities for the Safe and Fair Programme to expand its reach and better support returnee women migrant workers by partnering with other UN labour migration programmes in the region depending on the interest of partners and stakeholders.
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Description: To operationalize this recommendation: ? Meet with the PROMISE team to identify potential entry points for any additional programming or synergies that could be feasibly leveraged before the end of the Safe and Fair Programme in order to further strengthen the economic empowerment of returning women migrant workers at the community level. This meeting should also discuss how a potential future-programming phase could better interlink and synergize with women’s economic empowerment efforts within origin communities. ? Meet with the TRIANGLE team to identify how the programme’s EVAW training materials could be integrated into TRIANGLE’s work during the Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic to better sensitize its network of recruiters and their associations. ? Further collaborate with IOM’s IRIS team to facilitate the integration of EVAW training across IRIS’s network of recruiters. This could include conducting some train-the-trainer sessions and sharing EVAW training materials so that IRIS trainings can better reflect EVAW priorities. ? Collaborate with IOM’s CREST team to facilitate the integration of EVAW principles into the services and training provided to CREST’s network of employers and recruiters. This could include conducting some train-the-trainer sessions and sharing EVAW training materials so that CREST trainings can better reflect EVAW priorities. ? Continue to expand the programme’s repository of services for women migrant workers across countries and further share this with other UN labour migration programmes in the region. ? Further leverage the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative’s knowledge management structures to promote more active collaboration between the Safe and Fair Programme and other Spotlight Initiative programming across regions to further generate synergies that could facilitate the advancement of programming objectives.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Safe and Fair to meet with PROMISE and identify potential entry points for any additional collaboration opportunities. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2021/12 Completed This meeting could also discuss how a potential future-programming phase could better interlink and synergize with women’s economic empowerment efforts within origin communities. 21Feb2022: It's now done. Meetings were held and will continue in 2022.
2. Discussions between Safe and Fair and ILO’s TRIANGLE team on the possible use of Safe and Fair’s EVAW training materials into TRIANGLE’s work to sensitize its network of recruiters and their associations. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2021/12 Completed While Safe and Fair will explore collaboration with other programmes and agencies, and share its materials and knowledge products on EVAW, ultimately the inclusion of the knowledge products and approaches to address EVAW will rest on the other programme’s and their partners’ priorities. 21Feb2022 : This is done. Trainings will be organized in 2022.
3. Discussions between Safe and Fair and IOM’s IRIS team on the possible use of Safe and Fair’s EVAW training materials into their work with recruiters. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/03 Completed While Safe and Fair will explore collaboration with other programmes and agencies, and share its materials and knowledge products on EVAW, ultimately the inclusion of these knowledge products will rest on the other programme’s own interests and priorities. 21Feb2022 : Done and trainings will be conducted in Q3/4 2022.
4. Discussions between Safe and Fair and IOM’s CREST team on the possible use of Safe and Fair’s EVAW principles in the services and training provided to CREST’s network of employers and recruiters. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/03 Completed While Safe and Fair will explore collaboration with other programmes and agencies, and share its materials and knowledge products on EVAW, ultimately the inclusion of thee knowledge products, approaches on EVAW will rest on the other programme’s and their partners priorities. 21Feb2022 : Done and trainings/joint initiatives will be conducted in Q3/4 2022.
5. Continue to expand the Regional Service Directory for Women Migrant Workers in the ASEAN Region and (re)share this with other relevant UN programmes in the region through thematic working groups. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 Completed The Regional Service Directory referred to in the key action can be accessed here: https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/09/service-directory-for-women-migrant-workers-in-the-asean-region
6. Safe and Fair to contribute to, and share with, EU-UN Spotlight Initiative’s knowledge management structures, so as to generate synergies between the Safe and Fair Programme and other Spotlight Initiative programming across regions. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/12 Completed Safe and Fair will continue to join knowledge management discussions and contribute and share evidence and knowledge created by the programme with the global Spotlight community.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 5. FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE SAFE AND FAIR PROGRAMME’S ALIGNMENT WITH RBM GOOD PRACTICES AND IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF JOINT PROGRAMMING ARRANGEMENTS (FRO MTE)
Management Response: The Regional Management Team support further strengthening the Safe and Fair Programme’s alignment with RBM good practices and improving the efficiency of joint programming arrangements. As highlighted by the evaluation, by making relatively small adjustments to the Safe and Fair Programme’s results framework and joint working arrangements, the programme can significantly improve its results management and reporting as well as increase staff’s sense of well-being.
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Description: To operationalize this recommendation: ? Organize a staff retreat or extended meeting exercise to reflect on the clarity of roles and responsibilities between ILO and UN Women staff to produce key insights and knowledge on how to further clarify these roles to avoid duplication. The exercise should also include a discussion around the degree of consultation and coordination that is truly necessary between ILO and UN Women staff to see if any adjustments in expectations could be made to further streamline the joint elements of the work. This should help to slightly relieve the workload of programming staff. ? Modify the programme’s results framework by including impact indicators, identifying outcome indicators that the programme can realistically contribute towards, and refining some output indicators that are at too high of a level for the programme to be responsible for achieving (this includes Output 2.1.2.). The output indicators for Output 3.2.1 and 3.2.2 should also be adjusted to reflect the programme’s shift in focus towards capacitating stakeholders to use existing data on violence against women migrant workers due to the programming context and the challenges relating to collecting new data on violence against women migrant workers. ? Develop a ToC model for the programme that provides a clear articulation of how outcomes are intertwined and how outputs are expected to contribute towards outcome and impact-level results. Not only will this help to guide the remainder of the programme but it will also be useful for planning a potential second phase. ? Develop an exit strategy or a sustainability plan to guide the future of the programme and the sustainability of its results. This should include starting right away to look for donor funding that could support a continuation of the programme that would cover both the regional and country levels.
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Organize discussions with all staff to discuss challenges in the joint programming arrangements and identify ways forward . Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2021/12 Completed Both ILO and UN Women have been doing team building exercises and regular meetings with all Safe and Fair staff to discuss workloads and how to address workplace challenges. These efforts will continue. 21Feb2022 : Done. A team effectiveness exercise was conducted by ILO, led by HQ. Also, a mini online retreat was conducted by UNW. Key recommendations were identified and are being implemented.
2. Modify the programme’s results framework by refining some output indicators. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2021/09 Completed Specifically, the following indicators will now read as: ● Output 2.1.1. # of laws and policies on EVAW provided with technical support/inputs by UN Women ensuring integration of rights-based and survivor-centred approaches (in alignment with output 1.1) ● Output 3.2.1 Percent of sex-disaggregated data produced by governments on labour migration statistics ● Output 3.2.2 # of frontline service providers trained to safely collect and use VAWMWs data The evaluation found that the original Output indicator 3.2.2 relied heavily on the political will of ASEAN countries; Safe and Fair is not in the position to influence such change. Thus the Output indicator has been revised. Revised Output indicator 3.2.2 will only be measured from 2021 onwards, and the endline survey will have to take note of this. 21Feb2022 : Done. Annual reporting is already using the new indicators.
3. Discuss the existing ToC model for the programme with the relevant M&E specialists and explore possibilities of revision, as feasible. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2021/12 Completed The Programme Management Team would like to caution that a “continuously changing Theory of Change development process” could render the programme design un-evaluable especially given the relatively short timeframe of the project. 21Feb2022 : Done. A different decision was taken. This was strategically discussed and agreed with the Spotlight Secretariat and the EU. We should indicate as Done.
4. Develop an exit strategy or a sustainability plan to guide the future of the programme and the sustainability of its results. Safe and Fair Regional Programming Team 2022/03 Completed This includes starting right away to look for donor funding that could support a continuation of the programme that would cover both the regional and country levels. Safe and Fair will also develop evidence-based action briefs as a base for new proposals. 21Feb2022 : This is done. a new proposal is being drafted. A no cost extension was granted for 2023.