18 January 2008
By SOMAN BABY
THE PLIGHT of overseas workers in the Gulf will come under the spotlight at a conference of ministers from the region and labour-exporting countries, being held in the UAE.
The fourth ministerial consultation on the "Colombo Process" will be held in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday.
Eleven labour-exporting countries will attend the meeting, while Gulf countries will take part as observers, said Indian Ambassador Balkrishna Shetty.
Labour-exporting countries attending the meeting are India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Besides the six GCC states, Singapore, Japan, Korea and Malaysia will take part as observers.
"The meeting will propose practical solutions for the well-being of the vulnerable overseas workers," Mr Shetty told the GDN.
"Issues such as streamlining the labour movement and eliminating human trafficking will be discussed.
"Problems faced by migrant workers in the Gulf and efforts made by the labour-exporting countries as well as the host countries to address them will also be reviewed."
The first ministerial meeting on the management of migrant labour was held in Colombo.
The follow-up consultation is now called the "Colombo Process".
The Indian delegation to the meeting will be headed by Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi.
Bahrain's Labour Minister Dr Majeed Al Alawi is also expected to attend.
Mr Shetty has just returned from a meeting of Indian Ambassadors in the region held in Muscat.
The meeting was attended by 22 Indian Ambassadors from the Gulf, Middle East and North Africa.
It was addressed by Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Kumar Mukherjee and Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed.
Mr Shetty said the meeting discussed in detail various measures taken by the Indian government to enhance the welfare of Indian workers living in the Gulf.
"Steps taken to streamline the immigration process were also reviewed," he added.
"The ministers revealed that the additional costs for hiring more staff at Indian missions in the Gulf to meet the increasing workload will be included in this year's budget."
The meeting also discussed ways to enhance trade and commercial ties between India and the Gulf, in the light of increasing oil prices, said Mr Shetty.
soman@gdn.com.bh
