PHL to host intl dialogue for migrant workers

The Philippines will host the second Abu Dhabi Dialogue, a key dialogue among 11 countries, in Pasay City from April 17 to 19.   Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the meet is scheduled at the Hotel Sofitel in Pasay City.   "Abu Dhabi is co-organizing the dialogue, aimed at providing a forum for the discussion of new ideas and concrete activities towards the enhancement of bilateral and regional cooperation and partnerships of eight Asian countries of labor destination and 11 countries of origin," Baldoz said in a news release.   Malaysia, Korea, and Japan will participate as observers, she added.   To be represented at the 2nd Abu Dhabi Dialogue Ministerial Consultation and High-Level Meeting are 11 countries where the migrant workers originate; and nine destination countries. These include: ORIGIN COUNTRIES

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Sri Lanka
• Thailand
• Vietnam

  DESTINATION COUNTRIES

• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Malaysia
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Singapore
• United Arab Emirates
• Yemen

  DOLE Undersecretary Danilo Cruz is overseeing the preparation and conduct of the dialogue.   Baldoz said the Abu Dhabi Dialogue’s choice of the Philippines as host to the 2012 Ministerial Consultation is a "recognition of the Philippines's capability to organize and host a very important migration-related event."   Baldoz said the Abu Dhabi Dialogue 2 will take place after almost four years to review initiatives and partnerships under Abu Dhabi Dialogue 2.   “During the dialogue in Manila, 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 of labor migration for the peoples of Asia, including Filipinos," she said.   Ministerial consultation   Meanwhile, the 2nd Ministerial Consultation will take place on April 19, to be preceded by a two-day Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) from April 17 to 18. The first SOM was held in Dubai on January 25 this year.   The first dialogue was held in 2008, with the United Arab Emirates government taking the groundbreaking step of hosting the 1st Ministerial Consultation.   Four partnership areas on migration were reached in the 2008 dialogue:  

• knowledge sharing on market trends, skills profiles, workers and remittances policies and flows, and their relationship to development;
• building capacity for effective matching of labor supply and demand;
• preventing illegal recruitment and promoting welfare and protection measures, and
• developing a framework for managing the entire cycle of temporary contractual work that fosters the mutual interest of countries of origin and destination.

  During the first Abu Dhabi Dialogue, France, Germany, Japan, Mauritius, Poland, Korea, and the United States of America were admitted as partner and observer states. The Abu Dhabi Dialogue, through the Abu Dhabi Declaration, launched a collaborative approach to temporary labor mobility in Asia and to maximizing worker migration benefits for development. - VVP, GMA News