A three-day workshop organized by IOM brought together this week 20
government representatives from six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates) to discuss and share best practices regarding
the management of temporary contractual labour.

Participants focused on several aspects of temporary labour
mobility including international migration law, labour admission
policies and enhanced partnership between countries of origin and
destination. Regional and multilateral dialogue and cooperation
were also discussed, in light of the recent Abu Dhabi declaration,
which seeks to address temporary labour mobility and maximize its
benefits for the development of both countries of origin and
destination.

The event, which was funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands in
Kuwait, allowed participants to discuss their vision for the future
of temporary contractual labour in the region.

"IOM aspires to support this and other regional dialogues and to
find pragmatic solutions that will enhance the benefits of mobility
for temporary foreign labour for both origin and destination
countries," says Shahidul Haque, IOM's Regional Representative for
the Middle East.

The GCC region is one of the most important South-South
corridors for labour mobility. According to recent UN data, the
foreign-born population in GCC countries reached 15.1 million in
2010, which is an increase of 2.4 million people since 2005. Most
foreign workers come from South Asia and South-East Asia, as well
as the Middle East.

Data from the World Bank reveals that Saudi Arabia was the
fourth biggest remittance origin country in the world in 2008, and
in that same year, foreign workers in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and
Saudi Arabia sent more than 26.6 US billion dollars home –
approximately 10 per cent of all remittances sent worldwide.

For further information, please contact:

Iman Ereiqat

IOM Kuwait

Tel: + 965 9940 7996

E-mail: "mailto:iereiqat@iom.int">iereiqat@iom.int