حوار أبو ظبي

ADD Ministers Hold Informal Talks on World Government Summit Margins

11 February 2019

Dubai: Taking advantage their presence at the World Government Summit in Dubai, a number of ministers from Abu Dhabi Dialogue Member States met informally on the margins of the conference for intergovernmental talks.

The Abu Dhabi Dialogue, a state-led inter-governmental forum for Asian labour sending and receiving countries, plays an increasingly important role in strengthening international relations relating to labour issues, and has been internationally recognised for the governance standards that it has helped to establish. Sri Lanka is the current Chair, while the UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation provides the Permanent Secretariat.

An informal meeting of minsters from the Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the UAE, was followed by an informal meeting of senior officials from a wider group of Member States.

Ministers present at the unofficial talks discussed questions relating to the Future of Work, an issue that has been a key part of the wider World Government Summit deliberations. Changes including the increasing automation of the workforce in numerous countries are among a range of issues that are relevant to Abu Dhabi Dialogue Member States.

Opening the ministerial meeting, H.E. Nasser bin Thani Juma Al Hamli affirmed the UAE’s continued support to the Abu Dhabi Dialogue and said, “Strengthening international cooperation is vital if we are to successfully meet the challenges and opportunities that we face.

As a topic, focusing on the Future of Work forces us to look at the long-term trends in our region, and ensure that we are collectively prepared to develop policy solutions that address these trends and ensure ongoing resilience.”

H.E. Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunications, Overseas Workers and Sport, Government of Sri Lanka, commented, saying, "The Abu Dhabi Dialogue provides a critical forum for discussions on how best to improve the governance of labour mobility in our region. Informal discussions like these help us to move forward that agenda.

The years ahead will certainly see changes, due to technological advances, but through international cooperation we will be ready to meet them. As Chair in Office of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, Sri Lanka is grateful to the government of the UAE for providing us with this opportunity to meet."