Social protection for migrant workers: A necessary response to the Covid-19 crisis

It is widely recognized that migrant workers are major contributors to social and economic development. However, they face significant challenges in accessing social protection, including with respect to health care and income security in countries of origin, transit and destination, a situation that poses a risk to the entire public health system. Therefore, integrated approaches that include migrant workers in national social protection responses, in line with the equality-of-treatment and non-discrimination principles enshrined in international human rights, international labour standards and the ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, will play an important role in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 and will support economic and social recovery.