MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines, together with the top ten maritime nations, is pushing for global action to ensure the protection of seafarers around the world and promote their safety, wellbeing and human rights.
During the three-day 2025 International Conference on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety and Well-being in Manila, the Declaration underscored seafarers as “key workers” in a strategic industry vital to international commerce and supply chains.
“For centuries, seafarers have been the unsung and unseen heroes of global trade, plying the seas amidst treacherous waters, pushing the boundaries of human imagination and exploration, and the driving force behind humanity's prosperity and progress,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said in her remarks.
“Today, over 80 to 90 percent of global trade is by sea. From the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the fuel that powers our homes and industries, the technology that keeps us connected, to the life-saving medicines that prevent and treat diseases - seafarers keep the global economy and our societies thriving,” she added.
According to the Declaration, “seafarers are indispensable to the ships plying the world’s oceans and seas carrying food, fuel, medicines, and other life-sustaining goods,”
“In a world of change, crises and conflicts, protecting seafarers is both a human rights imperative and a shared responsibility among all maritime stakeholders,” it added.
The Declaration also mentioned that enhanced social dialogue, strengthened enforcement mechanisms, and close collaboration among these stakeholders are crucial.
The nations who expressed support for the Manila Declaration on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety and Well-Being are Bangladesh, Germany, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, and United Kingdom (UK), according to the DFA.
Despite the document’s non-binding status, Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Carlos Sorreta said, Manila intends to push for wider support for the declaration.
“We will try to get as many adherence to the declaration as possible,” he told a press briefing.
Enhanced social dialogue, strengthened enforcement mechanisms, and close collaboration among stakeholders are crucial in addressing concerns of seafarers, according to the document.
“In a world of change, crises and conflicts, protecting seafarers is both a human rights imperative and a shared responsibility among all maritime stakeholders,” according to the Declaration.
“Work and life at sea are fraught with risks to seafarers’ human rights, safety and well-being. Global public health emergencies, disasters, conflicts, and unlawful acts against the safety of maritime navigation add to these risks,” it said.
Piracy and kidnapping, particularly in waters off Africa, have long been a challenge facing Filipino seafarers and the Philippine government.
The current situation of several Filipino crewmembers of the ill-fated MV Eternity remains unknown, amid reports that Houthi rebels from Yemen took hostages from the sunken vessel off the Red Sea last July.
Majority of seafarers are Filipinos, while more than 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, cargo ships, luxury liners and passenger vessels worldwide.
The Philippines remains the world’s largest source of manpower for the shipping industry in the world.
