Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious country, o­n the verge of achieving developed nation status. Malaysian people are a caring people concerned about justice and human rights. Today, there are about 1.8 million registered (or documented) migrant workers in Malaysia. 15 countries now supply workers in various employment sectors in Malaysia with the largest number coming from Indonesia (1.2 million ) followed by Nepal which provides 170,000 workers. Other sending countries include India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Timor Leste and the Philippines.

According to government estimates, there is an equivalent number of unregistered (or undocumented) migrant workers in Malaysia, and today that means at least 1.8 million undocumented workers. The actual figure of unregistered (or undocumented) migrant workers in Malaysia could be about 5 million. This estimate is supported by the fact that official entry-exit records in 2004 showed that there were about 5,852,997 persons or 38% of the total arrivals overstaying. In fact, recently our Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad was reported saying that 800 to 900 foreign workers arrive at the KL International Airport daily(Star,14/10/06), and that did not include entry through land and sea. Undocumented migrants can enter Malaysia so much more easily by sea and land, avoiding immigration and customs authorities and that is, I believe, the manner of entry employed by the majority of undocumented migrants.

Social Movements Assembly at the World Social Forum Nairobi, 24 January 2007

We, social movements from across Africa and across the world, have come together here in Nairobi at the 2007 World Social Forum to highlight and celebrate Africa and her social movements; Africa and her unbroken history of struggle against foreign domination, colonialism and neo-colonialism; Africa and her contributions to humanity; Africa and her role in the quest for another world.

We are here to celebrate and reaffirm the spirit of the World Social Forum as a space of struggle and solidarity which is open to all people and social movements regardless of their ability to pay.

Chinese authorities in a Tibetan region of northwest Gansu province have arrested a monk, possibly for helping local people listen to Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcasts, local residents said. "Jamyang Gyatso, a monk at Bora monastery in Amdo Labrang [in Chinese, Xiahe] was taken away o­n the evening of Jan. 8 by Chinese security officials," a resident of Labrang told RFA's Tibetan service."On the night Jan. 8 he was told that somebody wanted to see him outside. When he went out, he never came back that night," the source said.A member of the Bora monastery said officials at the monastery later discovered police had turned over Jamyang Gyatso's room.

The heads of state and government of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), attending the 12th Asean Summit o­n Jan13 in Cebu, Philippines came out with an Asean Declaration o­n The Protection And Promotion Of The Rights Of Migrant Workers. Reading the title o­nly, it all sounds very good for the promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers but a deeper consideration of the said declaration itself reveals that it does very little for the protection and promotion of rights as everything declared is to be subject to the laws, regulations, and policies of the respective Asean member countries. The heads of state and government of  the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), attending the 12th Asean Summit o�n Jan13 in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Cebu</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region></st1:place>came out with an Asean Declaration o�n The Protection And Promotion Of The
Rights Of Migrant Workers.Reading the title o�nly, it all sounds very good for the promotion and
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WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing), in conjunction with organisations of waste collectors, supportive researchers and NGOs, has initiated a project that aims to facilitate international networking and solidarity amongst organizations of informal waste collectors, with a view to increasing their visibility and voice internationally. This includes convening an international conference in Latin America in September 2007. At present the Steering Comittee is identifying and recording information o­n democratic, member-based organisations of informal waste collectors in different regions of the world. This includes worker cooperatives, associations and trade unions organized locally, nationally or regionally. The Steering Committee is also interested in identifying and collecting information o­n NGOs that support and work with groups of informal waste collectors.

Please contact:

The Steering Committee

Christine (Chris) Bonner: WIEGO: Organization & Representation Programme, [email protected]

Current Steering Committee Members

Laxmi Narayan:General Secretary, Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP), India, [email protected]

Martin Medina: Programme Manager, Institute of Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

Sonia Maria Dias, Minas Gerais Waste and Citizenship Forum, Brazil

Laila Iskander, CID, Egypt

Luiz Henrique and Severino, National Movement of Wastepickers, Brazil

for more details.