​The Department of Labour, Ministry of Home Affairs, hosted the 14^th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (or ACMW) virtually on 27 to 28 April 2021 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Berakas, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.

The ACMW was established in 2007 during the 12^th ASEAN Summit held in Cebu, Philippines and is a technical body under the ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (or ALMM) comprising of senior Government labour representatives of all ASEAN Member States. This 14^th Meeting of the ACMW marks the second occasion that Brunei Darussalam has hosted and chaired a meeting of this Committee where the rotational Chairing of each ACMW session is aligned to the Chairmanship of ASEAN.

As provided for under the ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers signed by ASEAN Heads of State during the 31^st ASEAN Summit in Manila in 2017, ASEAN Member States through the ACMW are tasked to implement the ASEAN Consensus through a regional Action Plan. The Action Plan captures the efforts of the ASEAN Member States between 2018-2025 to implement the ASEAN Consensus, which includes a self-assessment tool. Accordingly, during the 14^th ACMW meeting, ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat had updated on the status of implementation of completed, on-going and planned projects and activities under the Action Plan.

The ACMW Meeting also presented an opportunity for ASEAN Member States to consider potential collaboration with external ASEAN partners to share information on migration-related initiatives, exchange views on the support provided by external partners, as well as new initiatives planned in the region.

The two-day meeting was chaired by Yang Mulia Awang Mohd Amir Hairil bin Haji Mahmud, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and attended by Yang Mulia Awang Muhammad Saufi bin Haji Ibrahim, the Acting Commissioner of Labour, as the Head of Delegation for Brunei Darussalam.

Representatives from the ten (10) ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat as well as external partners including representatives from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Department of Foreign and Trade of Australia (DFAT), the Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), EU mission to ASEAN and the Government of Switzerland had attended the meeting.

The next ACMW Meeting is scheduled to be held in 2022 chaired by the Government of Cambodia.