[8 May 2009 by Feizal Samath in IPS] - Trade unions from Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait came together with their Sri Lankan counterparts here to strike an unprecedented agreement on the welfare of migrant workers. The Colombo agreement is seen as breaking the tight grip on migrant workers of recruitment agencies here and in recruiting countries. It grants all internationally recognised labour rights to Sri Lankan workers, with unions in receiving countries ensuring implementation.

[3 May 2009 by Sarah McInerney in Times Online] Immigrants from European Union accession states are the fastest rising category among the unemployed in Ireland. Last year the number of migrants from new member states in Europe signing on to the Live Register rose by 300%. A report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) shows that the economic crisis has resulted in sharply increased levels of unemployment among foreign workers and that the majority are choosing not to return to their home countries when they become unemployed.

 [5 May, 2009 by Jim Luce in the Huffington Post] As the world economy collapses, the lifeline to already-impoverished Haiti has run thin. One third of Haiti's economy flows through remittances -- through companies such as Western Union and Moneygram -- from overseas family members sending cash home.

A user-friendly Guide to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (ICRMW) is now available. Seeking to better protect migrants’ human rights and dignity, the new publication encourages governments worldwide to ratify and implement the Convention.

The Guide, prepared by a Steering Committee -- a network of concerned intergovernmental agencies and international civil society groups chaired by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), was launched on 30 April in Geneva.