The Government of Sri Lanka and ICMPD along with national media organisations, gathered today to strengthen cooperation towards safe, regular and orderly migration. The meeting in Colombo sought to promote accurate, ethical and solution-oriented reporting to help the public with better-informed migration decisions. Through the Migrant Information Centre, the meeting brought together over 30 officials and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE); as well as media professionals.
“There are many good news about migration such as remittances, new labour agreements, and partnerships that will encourage more legal and safe migration. It is the duty of media to encourage people to go to the right licensed recruitment agencies,” Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment, emphasised in his opening remarks.
Deputy Minister Hemachandra was joined by Dr. Sugath Yalegama, Additional Secretary from the Ministry; S.M.S.D. Gunasinghe, General Manager, of the SLBFE; and Ms Sonya Douglas, Counsellor and Irregular Migration Liaison Officer at the New Zealand High Commission in Colombo. The speakers emphasised the shared responsibility of government institutions, migration specialists and journalists to ensure that the public can access timely, accurate and practical migration information.
“New Zealand is proud to support the Migrant Information Centre initiative in Sri Lanka. The Centre was established to respond to the need for accessible migration information, community awareness, counselling, and stronger coordination among government institutions, frontline officers, and local communities. Its work is based on a simple but important principle: people should be able to make migration decisions based on accurate information, not on rumours, false promises or pressure from informal intermediaries. This is where the media has a particularly important role,” said Ms Douglas from the New Zealand High Commission.
The programme examined global labour migration dynamics, the future of work and labour-market diversification, alongside Sri Lanka’s migration policies, regulations, programmes, and services. The discussions also touched on migration terminology, reliable sources, ethical foundations, solution journalism, and practical approaches in improving accuracy and the public value of migration reporting.
Participants discussed how responsible reporting can help the public distinguish legal pathways from irregular arrangements, recognise fraudulent recruitment and visa scams, understand the risks of migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and identify official institutions and services that can provide assistance.
Interactive exercises encouraged journalists to reflect on how migrants are represented, how claims and job offers can be verified, how experts and affected communities can be engaged ethically, and how migration stories can focus on practical solutions without compromising accuracy, dignity or confidentiality.
Aside from identifying opportunities for additional training for media to report better on migration, the participants agreed to look at recognition of media reporting similar to Migration Media Awards practiced in the Philippines, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Participants also inquired about additional sources of data and information to verify or validate their news or reports.
The programme was organised under MIC Sri Lanka Phase II, funded by the Government of New Zealand and co-funded by the Government of Switzerland, and implemented by ICMPD in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.
About MIC Sri Lanka
The Migrant Information Centre (MIC) Sri Lanka provides free, accessible and reliable information, counselling, community awareness and referral support to prospective migrants, migrant workers, returnees and their families. Established in 2024 and co-located with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment in Batticaloa, MIC Sri Lanka works with government institutions, frontline officers, civil society and communities to support informed decisions, safe and regular migration pathways, and protection from exploitation.
