07/09/2026
IDWF Asia Regional Leadership Workshop, Solidarity Dinner
Last night, CMA joined the Solidarity Dinner hosted by the IDWF for the Asia Regional Leadership Workshop. The evening brought together domestic worker leaders from across Asia to celebrate 15 years of ILO Convention 189 and 13 years of IDWF, honoring how far the movement has come, while recognizing the work still ahead for domestic and migrant workers' rights.
We were honored to deliver a message of solidarity on behalf of CMA, standing with the leaders, organizers, and workers building a stronger, more united voice for domestic workers across the region. Maraming salamat sa imbitasyon, at mabuhay ang mga domestic workers!
CMA's solidarity message follows:
"A pleasant evening to all.
I am honored to be standing here in front of all of you tonight as a representative of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, in place of Ms. Ellene Sana. I would like to thank the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), the UNITED Domestic Workers of the Philippines (UNITED), and the Centre of Labour Justice for inviting us to this Solidarity Dinner. I know that the weather has not been kind to us these past few weeks, but I am grateful to see that all of you have arrived safely.
We gather to mark a moment worth remembering. 2026 marks the 15th year since the adoption of ILO Convention 189. That the men and women who cook, who clean, who care for the children and the elderly, deserve the same dignity, the same protection, and the same rights as any other worker. It is also the 13th anniversary of the founding of the International Domestic Workers Federation, a federation built not by policymakers but by domestic workers for domestic workers.
Although we would be dishonest if we celebrated only the victories, Convention 189 gave us a promise, but promises on paper do not always translate into protection in practice. Across Asia and beyond, many domestic workers still labor without contracts, without rest days, without recourse when they are abused or exploited. Migrant domestic workers often carry multiple burdens: invisible as workers, vulnerable as migrants, marginalized as women far from the protection of their home countries. At the CMA, we see the realities daily in the cases that come to us, in the stories of workers seeking help after their rights have been violated, far from home.
And yet, there is plenty to celebrate. Workshops like this one, where leaders from across Asia gather not to be spoken for but to speak, strategize, and lead, prove that the promise of Convention 189 is being carried forward not by governments alone but by you.
To our fellow leaders, the initiative you are building here, the strategies you are sharpening, the solidarity you are strengthening across borders, is the living legacy of everything domestic workers before you fought for. You are not just inheriting a movement. You are its future.
Solidarity is a value, but tonight I want to offer the idea that solidarity is also a strategy for turning isolated struggles into collective power. And it is what will turn tonight’s dinner, tonight’s dancing, and tonight's stories into tomorrow’s stronger, louder, and more unified voice for domestic workers across Asia.
So, to IDWF, to UNITED, and to UP SOLAIR, thank you for this space. And to every domestic worker in this room: on behalf of CMA, we see you, stand with you, and are honored to celebrate alongside you tonight. Happy fifteenth anniversary to Convention 189 and Happy thirteenth anniversary to IDWF. And to all of you, maligayang gabi at mabuhay kayong lahat!”
