Marrakesh – On 9 December, on the margin of the Side Events of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the Government of the United Arab Emirates represented by H.E. Nasser bin Thani Juma Al Hamli, UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the International Organization for Migration represented by Mr. António Vitorino, IOM Director General, signed an agreement to implement the Project “Comprehensive Information and Orientation Programme (CIOP) Phase II Plus”.

CIOP is an innovative project that aims to strengthen the labour market integration and protection of migrant workers in Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) Member States. Over the 18-month project, IOM will provide technical support through the development of tools and mechanisms to operationalize a management system for tailored and coordinated orientation services that caters to the needs of migrant workers in all 18 Asian and Gulf countries. DG Vitorino strongly endorsed this partnership, stating that “CIOP directly contributes to GCM Objective 16 – Empower migrants and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion – and is a prime example of how Regional Consultative Processes can promote innovative approaches and foster multi-stakeholder partnerships around specific policy issues.” DG Vitorino applauded the UAE for kickstarting the implementation of the GCM objectives even before its adoption.

 Commenting on the agreement to collaborate with the International Organization for Migration, H.E. Nasser bin Thani Juma Al Hamli, UAE Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said: “This agreement underscores our commitment to working closely with IOM on issues of migration governance. IOM brings institutional knowledge and experience to the management of temporary labour migration, and they play a major role in facilitating international cooperation to improve governance standards."

His Excellency added, “The agreement to cooperate on the development of new orientation programming will feed directly in to the innovative work that we have done to establish Tawjeeh orientation centres, providing information to newly arrived workers in the UAE. It is also directly aligned with our endorsement of the Global Compact for Migration, and in particular, objective three, on the provision of accurate and timely information.”

IOM and UAE have a long-standing partnership in areas that focus on migration governance, skills harmonization, ethical recruitment, and now expanding to orientation services.

For more information please contact Mohamed El Zarkani at IOM Bahrain, Tel: +973 351 66 215, Email: melzarkani@iom.int