Dubai, 28 October 2021 (TDI): Pakistan accepted the chairmanship of Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) at the 6th Ministerial Consultation of ADD, in Dubai, on 27 October. Pakistan will lead the dialogue for the next two years (2022-2023).
Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiyar, headed the Pakistani delegation at 6th Ministerial Consultation of ADD.
Speaking on the occasion, the Federal Minister thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting the prestigious event. He appreciated the level of discourses during the sessions. Moreover, he reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to take forward the vision and goal of ADD in the next two years.
Pakistan’s objectives for chairmanship: legal migration and skill development
Federal Minister Khusro Bakhtiyar said Pakistan will priorities the participation of women migrant workers in ADD labor markets.
He also emphasized that Pakistan will work with ADD member states to tackle the challenges posed by changing labor market dynamics, irregular recruitment, human trafficking, and money laundering.
Furthermore, the Minister urged the participants to undertake collaborative efforts to save innocent people from exploiters and traffickers. He suggested that this can be achieved through the provision of legal migration and policy-level support to new migrants.
Additionally, the Federal Minister stressed the need for special focus on the skill up-gradation of the available workforce to meet the new requirements of destination countries. He also emphasized developing innovative technology based solutions for governance of labor migration.
He expressed Pakistan’s commitment to work with member countries for developing best policy options for social protection, both for the countries of origin and destination.
Moreover, the Federal Minister lauded ADD for playing a crucial role in protecting labor rights. He suggested that the introduction of modern technology, in social protection, is the way forward.
Abu Dhabi Dialogue: An Overview
The Abu Dhabi Dialogue was formed in 2008. It is a forum for facilitating dialogue and cooperation among Asian countries of labor origin and destination.
It consists of eleven Asian labor-sending and seven Asian labor-receiving countries, along with Malaysia. The sending countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. While the receiving countries comprise: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Moreover, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and International Labor Organization (ILO), along with private sector and civil society representatives, are regular observers.
The permanent secretariat of ADD is located in the United Arab Emirates. ADD aims to enable safe, orderly, and regular labor migration facility among the member countries. It enables the participants to boost cooperation, adopt efficient labor practices and non-binding consultative processes.
Pakistan started participating in the forum in 2016. It is the first that the country will chair the forum for the next two years.
 at the 6th Ministerial Consultation of ADD, in Dubai, on...(Read More)){kind=link}