Indonesia, IOM Prepare MoU Renewal to Strengthen Migrant Worker Protection

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian Ministry of Migrant Worker Protection (P2MI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are preparing to renew their memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aiming to strengthen protection and empowerment programs for Indonesian migrant workers and their families.

IOM is an official United Nations agency established to address migration issues. Deputy P2MI Minister Christina Aryani said the renewal is needed to align the cooperation with the institutional change from the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) to the Ministry of P2MI.

"Cooperation between IOM and the Indonesian government has been going well. Therefore, we consider it important to continue and strengthen this cooperation through the renewal of the MoU," she said after receiving IOM Indonesia Chief of Mission Jeffrey Labovitz at her office in Jakarta on Monday, August 10, 2026, as quoted on the ministry's official website.

She said the renewed cooperation is expected to provide a stronger foundation for collaboration in protecting and empowering Indonesian migrant workers. Cooperation between IOM and BP2MI has been in place since November 2021 and will expire in November 2026.

One existing area of cooperation is the empowerment of former Indonesian migrant workers and their families, including through the Golden Migrant Village (Demimas) program. "Empowerment is an important part of the migrant worker protection ecosystem," she said.

“Protection must extend beyond the period when migrant workers are abroad but must also be reinforced after they return to Indonesia, ensuring their experience and resources become assets for building independent lives. This is one of the areas we can continue to strengthen through future cooperation,” she explained.

She added that continued collaboration with IOM is also important to strengthen various P2MI programs, particularly those related to empowering former migrant workers and their families.

Renewing the MoU, she said, is not merely an administrative adjustment following institutional changes, but also an opportunity to expand cooperation in line with current protection needs of Indonesian migrant workers.

"At the same time, it allows us to sustain effective programs and open new avenues for collaboration on protection and empowerment,” she concluded. ***