Hanoi, 27^th Jan 2016

IOM to cooperate with Leading Business Advisory Firm on Migrant Labour Standards

IOM has signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with leading global accounting organization Grant Thornton. It focusses on bringing together the best of both international organisations to assist migrant labourers across Southeast Asia.

Grant Thornton is a leading business adviser with extensive assurance and advisory skills needed in the assessment, certification and monitoring of how companies conform to international standards on ethical migrant labour practices, while IOM is the world’s largest organization dealing with migration-related issues.

The MOU will enable research on ethical recruitment and working conditions of migrant labourers in the region. The two organizations will also draft a business case for ethical trading, recruitment and management of migrant labour with a special focus on South East Asia and extended supply chains.

Under the MoU, IOM and Grant Thornton intend to work with local and international companies on the issues of ethical trading, recruitment and management of migrant labour through field testing, validation, certification and on-going “organic” management of the company’s migrant labour practices

David Knight, IOM’s Regional Coordinator for Viet Nam, Cambodia and Lao PDR commented that “consumers are a huge factor in IOM’s mission, especially given the interconnected nature of business in the modern world. We are keen to get started on this project, which will hopefully reassure consumers that the products they are purchasing come from companies with ethical migrant labour and supply chains. Our partnership with Grant Thornton will look to promote human rights standards, ethical recruitment practices and employment conditions for these migrants.”

Ian Pascoe, Grant Thornton’s CEO concluded, “We are very excited to be working with IOM. The unique combination of IOM’s significant experience in this area and Grant Thornton’s Assurance and Advisory skills and extensive commercial relationships will ultimately directly benefit those that need it most – the migrant labourers themselves, at a time when there is clearly a need to protect the most, those that have the least.”

For further information please contact Suriya Samritchindakun; Marketing Manager; Grant Thornton at suriya.samritchindakun@th.gt.com, tel +66 2 205 8142 or Joe Lowry, Asia-Pacific Spokersperson, IOM, at jlowry@iom.int, Tel +66818708081