Practices by Stakeholder 2

Cross-border cooperation on crisis preparedness

States can establish regional, cross-border cooperation on crisis preparedness and management taking into account the particular needs of migrants, including communities that straddle borders. Cooperation could include:

• Establishing binational or regional committees of local and national actors to plan and coordinate responses;
• Establishing an informal border committee of local leaders and key representatives of local communities to discuss cross-border issues;
• Establishing standard operating procedures for cross-border crisis cooperation;
• Carrying out joint simulations involving local and national crisis-response bodies, border services, fire fighters, and other relevant personnel;
• Signing memorandums of understanding between communities to govern hosting, movement, and resource management arrangements in case of crisis and large migratory movements;
• Establishing cross-border resource access and sharing arrangements between communities;
• Ensuring emergency response equipment and systems on both sides of a border are interoperable;
• Disseminating key information on crisis-preparedness, including location of shelters, hospitals, and consulates to migrants and other populations residing in the border area

Bilateral agreements on migrant workers

States of origin and host States can enter into bilateral agreements or memorandums of understanding to regulate protection of migrant workers in the event of a crisis, or on emergency procedures and evacuations. Aspects these agreements can regulate include:

• Migrant workers’ rights and duties;
• Migrant workers’ equal treatment;
• Employers’ rights and duties;
• Migrant workers’ fair recruitment;
• Roles and responsibilities of employers, recruiters, and States for the provision of assistance to, and evacuation of, migrant workers in crisis situations;
• Emergency clauses in employment contracts that require employers to cover evacuation costs of migrant workers in a crisis situation.