The ILO said the FWCMS was not recognised by the UN and that the award the platform received in 2017 was not given by the global intergovernmental organisation.
It said the World Summit Award the system received was given by the non-profit International Center for New Media. While it was given at the UN World Summit on the Information Society, the ILO reiterated that it was not issued by the UN.
“The award, while indeed bona fide, does not imply UN recognition,” it said in a statement.
The UN agency was responding to Bestinet’s defence of FWCMS and its proposed Universal Recruitment Advanced Platform.
Last month, Bestinet’s solicitors, Lui & Bhullar, said the FWCMS received the United Nations World Summit Award in 2017, describing it as global validation of the system it developed and operates.
The firm also said the system’s design and governance framework were developed in line with the principles and policies of the ILO and the International Organization for Migration, another UN agency.
It added that Putrajaya only approved a proof of concept for the system in 2012 after Bestinet obtained favourable recommendations from the ILO regional office in Bangkok and the Special Branch.
‘We backed FWCMS proposal, not its implementation or Bestinet as a whole’
ILO sought to clarify the supposed recommendation, saying its regional office only received a briefing on the FWCMS from Bestinet on April 10, 2013, not in 2012 as claimed.
It said it found the proposal “well-presented, innovative, comprehensive, and demonstrating a good understanding of some of the challenges faced in the effective management of labour migration”.
“Beyond this, the ILO does not know of the credentials or competence of Bestinet to carry out the proposed system, and these comments should not be construed as an endorsement of the company,” it said.
“These comments were made in relation to the initial concept or proposal and should not be taken as applying to, or endorsing, any subsequent implementation.”
The ILO added that it agreed to hear Bestinet’s proposal as it was keen on learning about any rights-based initiative to improve labour migration flows and bolster migrant worker protections.