SDC Innovation Lab Series on Social Protection of Migrant Workers

The Context

The SDC Innovation Lab Series on Social Protection for Migrant Workers was conducted from November 2023 to January 2024 as a virtual initiative aimed at addressing social protection challenges faced by migrant workers across the South Asia-Gulf migration corridor. The series was initiated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in collaboration with international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and Migrants Forum in Asia (MFA). The initiative sought to generate innovative, collaborative solutions through a structured co-design process, fostering partnerships among key stakeholders to enhance migrant workers' access to social protection.

Purpose and Objectives

The primary goal of the Innovation Lab Series was to develop actionable interventions that address systemic challenges in social protection for migrant workers. The objectives included:

• Identifying key challenges and opportunities within the migration corridor.
  

• Engaging stakeholders in a co-creative process to develop innovative solutions.
  

• Strengthening partnerships and building consensus among public and private sector actors.
  

• Producing concrete program proposals that could be implemented collaboratively.

People Involved

The series brought together a diverse group of participants, including representatives from international organizations, government agencies, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Notable participants included:

• Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC): Provided strategic leadership and funding.
  

• International Labour Organization (ILO): Contributed expertise on social protection standards and policy frameworks.
  

• UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF): Focused on financial resilience and inclusion for migrant workers.

  
  

• Migrants Forum in Asia (MFA): Advocated for migrant workers' rights and grassroots engagement.
  

• External Experts and NGOs: Provided insights on policy gaps and potential solutions.

Workshops Process

The Innovation Lab Series was structured into nine sessions, each designed to build on previous discussions and refine ideas collaboratively. Key phases of the process included:

1. Challenge Identification (Session 1): Participants selected key challenge clusters based on prior consultations, including access to social protection, public-private collaboration, gender transformation, and migrant worker representation.
   

2. Idea Generation (Session 2-3): Stakeholders developed raw ideas, prioritized them, and clustered them into six thematic workstreams.
   

3. Workstream Development (Session 4-6): Participants refined the core ideas, received feedback using the PPCO (Pluses, Potentials, Concerns, and Overcomes) framework, and integrated responses into their proposals.
   

4. Intervention Mapping (Session 7): Teams aligned their proposals with SDC’s Theory of Change, ensuring that interventions contributed to long-term systemic change.
   

5. Final Proposals and Pitches (Session 8-9): Two project pitches were developed and shared.

Environment

The virtual nature of the workshops enabled participation from diverse stakeholders across different time zones. Interactive digital tools such as the Well Sorted software facilitated idea clustering, while Stormz boards and digital platforms enabled real-time collaboration and feedback exchange. The process emphasized inclusivity, ensuring that migrant workers' voices were integrated into decision-making.

Output & Impact

The Innovation Lab Series resulted in the following key outputs:

• Six Thematic Workstreams: Covering evidence building, public-private partnerships, policy design, institutionalizing access to services, social protection rights support, and gender transformation.
  

• Actionable Interventions: 25 concrete interventions mapped onto SDC’s Theory of Change.
  

• Strengthened Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: Enhanced coordination mechanisms among participating organizations.
  

• Policy and Program Recommendations: Proposed frameworks for inclusive social protection systems.
  

• Two Project Pitches: Laid the foundation for funding and implementation of targeted social protection initiatives.