The Global Forum for
RESPONSIBLE
RECRUITMENT
BANGKOK & ONLINE
20-21 MAY 2025
ABOUT
Join the leading forum for accelerating fair, ethical, and responsible recruitment of migrant workers.
The Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment (GFRR) is a two-day event that brings together businesses, civil society, trade unions, government, and academia to discuss the global agenda on responsible recruitment.
The transformative use of data and technology will be a major focus at this year's Global Forum.
The Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Jan 2025). It aims to transform data-sharing between governments, businesses, civil society, trade unions, and intergovernmental organisations to build strong evidence on the prevalence, root causes, and key solutions to combat forced labour.
Initial data already highlights a strong correlation between unethical recruitment practices and the risk of forced labour worldwide.
GFRR2025 will build on this momentum to explore how increased and better use of data can be used to support action against recruitment fees.
In particular, discussions will focus on how different datasets from a variety of stakeholders, many of which are extensive but often siloed, can be brought together and leveraged to drive systemic change in recruitment practice.
REGISTRATION
WHY ATTEND
AGENDA
The two days of the Global Forum 2025 will focus on how different data driven solutions from a variety of stakeholders can be brought together and leveraged to drive systemic change in recruitment practice.
DAY 1
20.05.25
DAY 2
21.05.25
DAY 1
20.05.25
09:00 – 10:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Opening Remarks
Keynote speakerss will set the stage for two days of discussions on harnessing technological innovation for responsible recruitment. Speakers will outline the Forum’s objectives, highlight major challenges, and present the roadmap for fostering responsible recruitment practices worldwide.
10:00 – 11:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Developing a Proof of Concept for the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour
This session will explore the next steps in developing the Global Data Partnership Against Forced Labour and the points of intervention on responsible recruitment. Experts will discuss how data-driven collaboration among governments, businesses, and civil society can provide stronger evidence to combat forced labour.
11:30 – 12:15 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Social Dialogue and Worker Engagement
Effective worker engagement is key to achieving responsible recruitment. This session will highlight best practices in social dialogue, emphasising how businesses, trade unions, and worker representatives can collaborate to create ethical and sustainable recruitment practices.
12:15 – 13:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Supplier Engagement for Responsible Recruitment
This discussion will look into how companies can work more effectively with their suppliers to uphold responsible recruitment standards and drive systemic change.
Lunch: 13:00 – 14:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
14:00 – 15:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Building a Shared Database for Analysis and Intervention
This session will focus on the challenges and opportunities of shared databases that can consolidate information from various stakeholders, improving transparency, risk assessment, and interventions for pushing the responsible recruitment agenda.
15:00 – 15:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
The Responsible Recruitment Register – Recruitment Agencies and the IOM Recruitment Agency Capacity Building Programme
IHRB will present ithe Responsible Recruitment Register, which includes over 400 companies committed to the Employer Pays Principle. The Register aims to enhance transparency and promote responsible recruitment practices.
This session will also highlight the process of integrating recruitment agencies into the Register based on IOM’s capacity-building programme for recruiters.
16:00 – 17:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Building Capacity – Issara Institute Revolving Fund and Capacity Building Programme
This session will present Issara Institute’s Revolving Fund and Capacity Building Programme. Speakers will discuss the the dyanmics of the loan fund for recruiters transitioning to an Employer Pays Principle recruitment model.
DAY 2
21.05.25
09:00 – 9:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
The Responsible Recruitment Register
The Responsible Recruitment Register lists the publicly available policies of companies or business associations that have partly or fully assimilated the Employer Pays Principle. The register, is intended to be a tool for transparency. During this session, IHRB and IOM will describe how are they working together to deliver the Recruitment Agencies’ Register.
9:30 – 10:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Session to be confirmed
Details for this session will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates on speakers and key discussion points.
11:00 – 12:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Session to be confirmed
Details for this session will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates on speakers and key discussion points.
12:00 – 12:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Women Migrant Workers and Recruitment – A Guide for Recruitment Agencies
Migration is not a gender-neutral phenomenon.
IHRB will reflect on its series of work – Respecting the Human Rights of Women Migrant Workers, and will introduce the latest addition to the series: Recruitment of Women Migrant Workers -A Practical Guide for Recruitment Agencies.
Lunch: 12:30 – 13:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
13:30 – 14:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Session to be confirmed
Details for this session will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates on speakers and key discussion points.
14:30 – 15:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Limits on Remedy for Migrant Workers
This session will examine the challenges migrant workers face in accessing remedies for recruitment. Experts will also discuss the barriers that remedy processes may pose for responsible business practices and explore potential solutions to improve workers’ access to justice.
15:30 – 16:30 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
MMeasuring the Effectiveness of Worker-Centric Training on Responsible Recruitment and Ethical Employment in India
This session will present findings from worker-centric training initiatives in India, and the process of measuring their impact for improving recruitment practices and worker protections.
16:30 – 17:00 | Bangkok (GMT+7)
Closing Remarks
The Forum concludes with reflections on key takeaways, commitments from stakeholders, and the next steps for advancing responsible recruitment through technology and data-driven solutions.
To view the sessions for Day 2, click on the second tab at the top of the agenda.
SPEAKERS
GFRR 2025 speakers will include:
More speakers to be announced soon.
CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS
Discover the organisations that collaborate to produce webinars, presentations, and on-demand sessions for the forum.
No worker should pay for a job — the costs of recruitment should be borne not by the worker but by the employer.
FORUM REPLAYS
Hosted by IHRB, the ILO, and IOM, the 2021 Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment took place from 12-15 April 2021. The GFRR 2021 spanned four days, convening 16 discussions. To capture some key takeaways from each session, we invited colleagues from across the ecosystem to record and share their reflections on the discussion.
Hosted exclusively online by IHRB, the 2022 Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment took place from 1 – 3 November. The GFRR 2022 presented eight live sessions plus 16 recordings viewed by more than 1,600 participants. Access all sessions and materials now available on IHRB’s YouTube channel.
Hosted in person and online by IHRB in partnership with AIM-Progress, the 2023 Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment took place from 13 to 14 June in New York City. The GFRR 2023 live-streamed 15 sessions that were viewed more than 4,000 times by participants around the world. Access all sessions and materials now available on IHRB’s YouTube channel.
Hosted in person and online by IHRB in partnership with AIM-Progress and Stronger Together, the 2024 Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment took place from 25 to 26 June in London, UK. The GFRR 2024 live-streamed 17 sessions that were viewed by participants around the world. Access all sessions and materials now available on IHRB’s YouTube channel.
HOST
GFRR is hosted by the Institute for Human Rights and Business.
About IHRB and Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment
The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) is a think tank that works to make human rights part of everyday business by shaping policy, advancing practice, and strengthening accountability across all business sectors. The IHRB Migrant Workers Programme developed the Dhaka Principles for Migration with Dignity to provide a clear framework for understanding and addressing the challenges faced by migrant workers in all sectors and locations throughout the migration cycle.
Over the last few years, Responsible Recruitment of migrant workers has featured strongly on the radar of business and governments. Since 2016, the IHRB’s Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment (LGRR) has played a significant role in highlighting the issue of responsible recruitment and is one of the leading initiatives working towards the eradication of worker-paid recruitment fees. The Group consists of 16 international brands supported by three civil society organisations, and the ILO and IOM, who use their collective leverage to promote safe and responsible recruitment practices globally. A key premise upon which the Group is founded, ‘The Employer Pays Principle’ – No worker should pay for a job, the costs of recruitment should be borne, not by the worker but by the employer – is now widely referenced by business, governments, trade unions, civil society, and international organisations.
FOR GFRR 2025
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The 2025 Global Forum for Responsible Recruitment is hosted and produced by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB).
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