Indonesia has announced its intention to ratify an international convention on the protection of migrant workers.

The House of Representatives and the government reached an agreement to ratify the United Nations (UN) Convention on International Migrant Workers and Members of their Families on Thursday.

"The agreement to ratify the convention reflects the government's commitment to protecting the rights of all Indonesian migrant workers. This is just the start of efforts to further protect our workers abroad," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said.

Marty added that the ratification would require Indonesia to harmonize all domestic laws regarding migrant workers’ protection in line with the UN convention.

The UN adopted the convention in 1990.

Indonesia will be the 46th country from all UN member states to ratify the convention, and the second Asian country to do so.

Migrant Worker, a nongovernmental organization that promotes the rights of Indonesian migrant workers, welcomed the planned ratification, believing that it would provide the legal foundation to protect all migrant workers and members of their families.

"This is just the beginning. We will further endorse its implementation so that the rights of our migrant workers are truly guaranteed," Anis Hidayah, Migrant Worker’s executive director, said.