(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Preparatory meetings for the Doha Dialogue on Labour Mobility between Gulf and African Countries were held in Doha yesterday, with the participation of 33 countries representing GCC, Jordan, Lebanon and 25 African countries.
The meeting of the technical committee was chaired by Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour Affairs at Ministry of Labour Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al Thani, with delegates from the above-mentioned countries, in addition to representatives from the African Commission, the Executive Council of GCC Labour Ministers, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), experts, academics, and representatives of civil society.
Sheikha Najwa, during her opening remarks at the technical committee meeting, affirmed that the agreement between the GCC states, Jordan, Lebanon, and the African Union to launch the“Doha Dialogue” is part of the collaboration among nations aimed at supporting and enhancing expatriate labour to achieve development goals, which requires collective efforts and a coordinated approach to enhance the protection of expatriate labour.
She explained that the Doha Dialogue aims to provide a public platform for dialogue among the participating countries, through which ideas and experiences are exchanged to achieve best practices that enhance regional cooperation efforts and partnerships for mutual benefit.
Sheikha Najwa pointed out that the GCC states, Jordan, and Lebanon recognise the positive contribution of expatriate labour to achieving sustainable development goals. Therefore, these countries have taken significant steps at the national level to align with international efforts in terms of labour mobility, introducing various legislative measures and reforms to protect expatriate labours and enhance their mobility in the labour market.
Head of the Department of Social Development, Culture and Sports at the African Union Commission, Angela Martins said that the labour mobility from Africa to the Gulf countries is the result of multiple factors, including the search for better economic opportunities and geographical proximity, noting that African expatriate workers account for 12 per cent of the total number of expatriate workers in the GCC amid expectations that this number will continue to rise.
Director of the Labour Affairs Department at the Executive Office of the GCC Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs, Khalil Hazza said that the first edition of the Doha Dialogue comes at a crucial time, as the world is witnessing multiple challenges, such as rapid technological changes, economic transformations, climate change, and other challenges that are having an impact on labour markets and labour mobility.
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