Dubai, UAE; December 4, 2013
A positive and open-minded dialogue involving all nations involved in labour migration is important to support the job creation goals of the Arab world, a workshop on 'Labour Mobility Policies' at the Annual Conference of the Arab Thought Foundation (FIKR12) observed.
Organised in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the workshop presented a detailed view of the labour migration patterns in the Arab world, the flow of remittances and how unilateral labour mobility policies tend to be ineffective in the long run.
Michael Newson, Regional Labour Migration/Migration & Development Specialist at the IOM Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Office, said that migration - for work or for humanitarian reasons - is transnational in nature, affecting both originating and destination countries. "Even minor differences in per capita GDP can trigger labour flows," he said, citing regional examples.
Highlighting the less-discussed aspect of labour mobility between developing nations as against the much-discussed developing to developed world migratory pattern, Newson said labour migration has a huge impact on the region's development, particularly in addressing the challenge of creating 80 million jobs by 2020.
Describing the link between labour migration and remittances, Newson said that there are over 18 to 22 million labour migrants in the GCC region, with the region also accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total global remittances. A clear migration policy, he said, "is critical to maintaining labour supply and demand" as well as to drive the region's development and youth employment.
Haissam Minkara, Humanitarian Partnerships Programme Manager at Oxfam, Lebanon, presented the humanitarian crisis in refugee camps in Lebanon, which have witnessed an influx of Syrians over the past three years. Lacking adequate employment, and having resorted to migration on humanitarian grounds, a significant majority of these people are heavily indebted due to the high cost of food and rent.
Minkara said that the labour mobility must be evaluated also from the perspective of such humanitarian migration, which will help in supporting the development of human capital of the displaced population, which is important in the long-run. He also highlighted the impact of labour mobility on both originating and destination countries, explaining the long-term impact on human capital, job creation and economic growth.
The panelists asserted the need to do more on-ground research on the number of labour migrants and other related social factors, which is extremely important in accurate policy making.
Muftah Etwilb, Regional Representative for North Africa, of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, Libya, said that while the process of labour mobility in the Arab world presents challenges, there are also opportunities that policy makers must take advantage of to drive investment and development strategies.
Concluding the session, the panelists recommended stronger engagement between governments and civil society organizations on labour mobility concerns, the need to focus on sustainable and long-term growth, and the importance of a sound labour mobility policy.
-Ends-
The Arab Thought Foundation:
The Arab Thought Foundation is an international, independent non-profit and non-governmental organization based in Beirut (Lebanon), founded by His Royal Highness, Prince Khalid AlFaisal in the year 2001. It is a solidarity initiative between business community & intellectuals to promote pride in the Arab nation's core values and identity and achieve Arab cultural cohesiveness, while being open to other cultures of the world.
For further information, please contact:
Nedal Al Asaad / Omar Badran
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Tel: (+971 4) 4507600; Fax: (+971 4) 4358040
E-mail: nedal.alasaad@bm.com, omar.badran@bm.com
© Press Release 2013
