Qatar chairs 10th meeting of GCC Labour Undersecretaries

Doha: The State of Qatar chaired yesterday the 10th meeting of the Committee of Undersecretaries of Labour Ministries in the Gulf Cooperation Council...

Doha: The State of Qatar chaired yesterday the 10th meeting of the Committee of Undersecretaries of Labour Ministries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Doha, as a preparation for the upcoming meeting of GCC Ministers of Labour, set to take place in Doha next Wednesday.

The meeting was chaired by Assistant Undersecretary for Expatriate Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al Thani, and attended by Their Excellencies Undersecretaries of the GCC Ministries of Labour, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs at the General Secretariat of the GCC H E Khaled Ali Bin Salem Al-Senaidi, and Director-General of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Ministers of Labour and Ministers of Social Affairs in GCC H E Mohammed bin Hassan Al Obaidli.

The Undersecretaries addressed enhancing collaboration in the labour sector, such as the strategy of the Committee of Labour Ministers, international cooperation, the United Nations Business and Human Rights Principles, and the Gulf Framework for Combating Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in labour.

Sheikha Najwa emphasised the importance of annual meetings of GCC Ministries of Labour Undersecretaries saying that these meetings allow for sharing experiences, ideas, and developing strategies to enhance cooperation on labour issues within the Gulf countries and they aim to streamline initiatives and align the stances of GCC labour ministries in global and regional forums.

She emphasised the need to strengthen labour market flexibility to address rapid changes and youth challenges by promoting international labour standards, improving regulatory labour laws, empowering women in the workforce, and creating new labour markets that rely on rapid technological advancement and digital transformation.