Int'l Conference on Labor Mobility-Enabler for Sustainable Development
- 13 May 2013
Some 150 experts, government officials and international researchers, executives and practitioners will be brought together tomorrow in Abu Dhabi to discuss cross-border movement of labor and its impact on development.
The 2-day international conference on 'Labor Mobility-Enabler for Sustainable Development' which kicks off tomorrow in Abu Dhabi will build on previous work on labour mobility by the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) and the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), while fleshing out new ideas about how to strengthen the human development benefits of labour mobility and link labour mobility policies more effectively to development planning in the Asian region and beyond, according to Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, vice chancellor of UAE University and chairman of the Conference Committee, in statements at a press conference.
The conference is being organised under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, between 14-15 May at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi.
Participants will discuss labor mobility from Asia and other parts of the world to stimulate greater regional interest and engagement in the global dialog on migration and development.
The conference is co-organized by the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ECSSR, the National Qualifications Authority (NQA) in partnership with the Executive Office of the Council of Ministers of Labor of the GCC, the Government of Sweden which holds the chairmanship of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Bank.
The UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Migration and Development will also take part in the conference.
Through the involvement of a broad group of national and international experts, it will bring innovative ideas and research to the regional debates and programs and strengthen the knowledge and capacities of the regional actors to conduct research and lead inter-agency policy discussion in the field, Al Nuaimi noted.
Under the main theme "Labour mobility - an enabler for human, economic and social development", the conference will discuss issues such as labour mobility outcomes for development (e.g. household incomes, human capital and employability, access to health and education, empowerment of workers, participation of women and gender-balanced community development), international labour market complementarities, and policies and cooperation to enable the circulation of skills and talent.
Other issues to be addressed by participants include financial and non-financial contributions of overseas workers to their countries of origin and host countries; evidence of the use of remittances beyond consumption; banking, investments and the use of other migrant financial and non-financial resources for development.
