ABU DHABI // An international labour conference in Manila will put high priority on finding ways to prevent illegal recruitment and providing better protection for migrant workers.
Countries that send or admit expatriate workers will convene in the Philippine capital today to look at policies for overseas employment, in the second Abu Dhabi Dialogue.
The UAE delegation will be led by Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour, who will also deliver the opening address, the state news agency Wam has reported.
The Manila meeting will be preceded by a two-day summit of senior officials today and tomorrow.
"It [this week's conference] will culminate in the signing of a communique approved by the ministers to boost regional partnership and achieve common goals," said Mr Ghobash.
The UAE has made strides for the welfare and protection of more than 600,000 Filipinos in the country, said Grace Princesa, the Philippine ambassador to the UAE.
"I'm happy that we're hosting the second Abu Dhabi Dialogue," Ms Princesa said. "It shows that the Philippines is being recognised for its best practices in managing migration."
The first Abu Dhabi Dialogue was held in 2008 to forge greater partnerships between destination countries including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and countries sending labourers, like India, Nepal and the Philippines.
This year's meeting was organised jointly by the Ministry of Labour and the Philippine department of labour and employment.
Rosalinda Baldoz, the Philippine labour secretary, said areas of partnership identified at the first Abu Dhabi Dialogue in 2008 included sharing knowledge on market trends, skills profiles, and policies and movements of workers and remittances.
Other focuses were building capacity to effectively match labour demand and supply; preventing illegal recruitment and promoting welfare and protection; and developing a framework for a comprehensive approach to managing the entire cycle of temporary contractual work.
"Participating countries will take a fresh look at the best practices and recommendations for bilateral, unilateral, and multilateral government action to bring about maximum benefits," Ms Baldoz said.
The conference will help to promote cooperation, improve efficiency and enhance protection not only of Filipino workers, but all contract workers in Asia, said Ms Princesa.
She said she hoped agreements would be signed between the UAE and the Philippines at the conference.
This month, the UAE and India signed an agreement to validate blue-collar workers' contracts online.
The process aims to increase transparency and reduce contract substitution, where workers sign up for certain pay and conditions that change when they arrive in the UAE.
Mr Ghobash said the system might be available to other labour-sending countries in the future.