Vaccination at All Airports for Migrants Recommended

Speakers at a forum have recommended that introducing vaccination programmes at airports can turn out to be the most useful way to ensure health safety for migrant workers.

The recommendations were made by pre-High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development Goals 2021, a global forum under United Nations, said a press release on Thursday.

HLPF also recommended ensuring vaccination for all migrant workers, regardless of their country of origin or their legal status.

Migration aspirants, migrant workers, their families and migration activists need to be vaccinated immediately, the forum emphasised.

The virtual consultation was jointly organized by Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development, WARBE Development Foundation, Secretariat of the Caucus and Center for Development Communications (DEVCOM) and supported by PROKAS, British Council and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Caucus on Migration and Development Chairperson Shameem Haider Patwary presided over the event.

Apart from that, the forum also called on the Bangladesh government to take effective actions and navigate the measures against the arbitrary action of recruitment agencies, embassies and foreign airlines companies; and take respective actions with multilateral collaboration, arrange chartered flights or open a travelling agency to ensure fair travel opportunities for Bangladeshi migrant workers, especially in Middle Eastern countries.

They also recommended development of a monitoring mechanism to control airfares and any other irregularities in the market.

The HLPF on Sustainable Development Goals 2021, which began virtually on July 6, will continue till July 17.

Every year, the forum reviews the status of member countries from this convention after receiving individual reports on far they achieved the goals of sustainable development.

“The government has adopted a ‘whole of government and whole of society’ approach to implement and attain the SDGs through involving representatives from NGOs, CSOs, and Business Development partners, ethnic minorities, professional groups, labour association, women networks and the media,” Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen said while addressing the virtual forum as chief guest.

Former foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Bangladesh Civil Society for Migration (BCSM) Chairperson CR Abrar also addressed the event.