WTO | services - Managing the movement of People: what can be learned for Mode 4 of the GATS? Seminar 4-5 October 2004


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SERVICES: SEMINAR — 4-5 OCTOBER 2004

Managing the movement of People: what can be learned for Mode 4 of the GATS?

Joint IOM/World Bank/WTO Seminar, Geneva, 4-5 October 2004

The seminar focused on the relationship between migration and the supply of services via the temporary movement across borders of natural persons, or “Mode 4” of the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The presentations explore what can be learned from the actual experience of governments in managing the movement of people for Mode 4 of the GATS, dealing with issues that are of interest to both trade and migration authorities.

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Background material back to top

> IOM/World Bank/WTO Trade and Migration background paper (pdf format, 21 pages, 116KB)

Programme back to top

Monday, 4 October 2004 back to top

What can we learn from existing schemes for Managing the Movement and temporary Stay of Foreign Workers that is relevant for mode 4 of the GATS?
09.00-10.00	Registration
10.00-10.10	Welcome Remarks: Brunson McKinley, IOM Director General Objectives and structure of the meeting: Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank, Lead Economist
10.10-11.00	Session I: Trade and Migration Contexts: Setting the Scene Chair: Lakshmi Puri, head, Division on Trade in Goods, Services and Commodities, UNCTAD Trade: Update on Mode 4: Hamid Mamdouh, WTO Secretariat, Director, Trade in Services. Brief presentation on the state of play in GATS Mode 4 negotiations, including on offers submitted thus far and the main issues of discussion in the negotiations. > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 70KB) Migration: Managing Movement and Temporary Stay of Labour Migrants: Policy and Implementation, Gervais Appave, IOM, Director, Migration Policy and Research What are the principal policy considerations for countries of origin and destination with respect to managing movement and temporary stay? What are the principal administrative mechanisms necessary to facilitate and manage temporary labour migration, and what relevance do these have for GATS mode 4, including visas, work permits, skills recognition, etc.? > download presentation (pdf format, 21 pages, 262KB) Discussion
11.00-13.00	Session II: National Level Unilateral Approaches to Managing Movement and Temporary Stay of Workers What approaches have countries taken at the national level to manage unilaterally the movement and temporary stay of workers? What has been their purpose and what types of movement (e.g., skill level, sector, duration of stay and type of contractual arrangements) do they cover and how does this compare with bilateral, regional and multilateral mechanisms, including GATS mode 4? What have been the strengths and weaknesses of these initiatives? What lessons can we learn? Chair: G. Joseph, Director, Department of Home Affairs, South Africa Introduction: Frank Laczko, Director of Research, International organization for Migration > download presentation (pdf format, 14 pages, 215KB) Case Studies: Philippines: Danilo P. Cruz, Under Secretary for Employment, Department of Labor and Employment > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 892KB) Bahrain: Ausamah Al-Absi, Director of Employment, Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 1957KB) United Kingdom: Lesley Maundrell, Policy Development Manager, Home Office, Work Permits (UK), Policy Team > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 308KB) Discussion
13.00-15.00	Lunch
15.00-17.00	Session III: Bilateral Approaches to Managing the Movement and Temporary Stay of Workers How are bilateral agreements for managing temporary labour migration designed? What kinds of agreements exist? How do they address labour market and administrative issues, and what lessons can we learn, including for mode 4? What have been the strengths and weaknesses of such agreements? What has been their purpose and what types of movement (e.g., skill level, sector, duration of stay and type of contractual arrangements) do they cover and how does this compare with GATS mode 4? What have been the strengths and weaknesses of these initiatives? What lessons can we learn? Chair: Irena Omelaniuk, Editor-in-Chief, World Migration 2005 Introduction: Georges LeMaitre, Principal Administrator, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs (DELSA), OECD > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 167KB) Case Studies: Hispano-Ecuatoriano bilateral labour agreement: Victoria Galvani, Jefe de Coordinación, Subdirección Gral. de Régimen Jurídico, Dirección Gral de Inmigración Secretaría de Estado de Inmigración y Emigración, Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales Canadian seasonal agricultural worker program: Elizabeth Ruddick, Director, Strategic Research and Statistics; Priorities, Planning and Research Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada > download presentation (pdf format, 6 pages, 105KB) Discussants: Veronica Robinson, Deputy Director, Manpower Services (Work Permits, Local Employment and Overseas Migration Programme), Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Jamaica Dr. Torsten Christen, Deputy Head of Division, Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour, Germany Discussion
17.00-18.00	Session IV: Regional Arrangements for Managing the Movement and Temporary Stay of Workers How do regional trade agreements and other regional arrangements for managing temporary labour migration actually work? What kinds of agreements exist? What has been their purpose and what types of movement (e.g., skill level, sector, duration of stay and type of contractual arrangements) do they cover and how does this compare with GATS mode 4? What have been their strengths and weaknesses? What lessons can we learn, including for mode 4? Chair: Carlos Primo Braga, Senior Adviser, World Bank Introduction: Julia Nielson, trade directorate, OECD > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 79KB) Case Studies: APEC Business Travel Card: David Watt, Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Australia — what exactly does it provide, how does it work, and what lessons can we draw from it for mode 4? > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 741KB) NAFTA — Luz María Servín Sotres, Director for International Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, National Migration Institute, Mexico — how does NAFTA cover temporary labour movement, how does it work, and what lessons can we draw from it for Mode 4? > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 1199KB) Discussant: Johannes Bernabe, the Philippines Discussion
18:30-20:00	Reception Hosted by the World Bank: World Meteorological Organization

Tuesday, 5 October 2004 back to top

What can we learn from existing schemes for Managing the Movement and temporary Stay of Foreign Workers that is relevant for mode 4 of the GATS?
10.00-11.00	Session IV: Regional Arrangements for Managing the Movement and Temporary Stay of Workers (Continued)
11.00-13.00	Session V: National Implementation of International Obligations How do states implement at the national level the international trade obligations they undertake at the regional and multilateral level with respect to movement of persons? Chair: Alejandro Jara, Ambassador of Chile to the WTO and Chair of the Services Negotiations Introduction: Carlo Gamberale, Trade in Services, WTO > download presentation (pdf format, 3 pages, 90KB) Case Studies: Mexico: Luz Maria Servin Sotres, Director for International Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, National Migration Institute Canada: Paul Henry, Trade Policy Adviser, Citizenship and Immigration Canada Colombia: Adriana Suarez, Consejera Comercial, permament Mission of Colombia, in Geneva Discussant: Sumanta Chaudhuri, India, WTO Mission Discussion
13.00-15.00	Lunch
15.00-16.00	Session VI: A View from the Constituents Chair: Assane Diop, Executive director of the social protection sector, International labour office Employer: Ellen Yost, Partner, Fragomen, Global Corporate Immigration Law Firm What are the practical impediments to moving highly-skilled and other temporary workers? What is the actual experience? > download presentation (Powerpoint format, 197KB) Union: Mike Waghorne, Public Services International What are the concerns of trade unions and how can these be addressed in managed approaches to the movement of temporary workers? (e.g. social security, human rights protection, etc.) Discussion
16.00-17.30	Session VII: Where do we go from here? Implications for Mode 4 Chair: Hamid Mamdouh, WTO, Director, Trade in Services Introduction: Aaditya Mattoo, World Bank, Lead Economist: Synopsis of the seminar discussions and focus on key questions from here Ambassador Sergio Marchi, Former Canadian WTO Representative and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada; Commissioner, Global Commission on International Migration Ambassador Chandrasekhar, Permanent Representative of India to the WTO Anya Oram, Administrator, Directorate General Trade, European Commission Discussion
17.30-18.00	Closing Remarks — IOM