Minister of Labour presides over Bahrain’s delegation to the Asia-Pacific Conference in Singapore
06-12-2022
HE Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, headed on Tuesday the delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the 17th Conference of Ministers of Labour and Employment of the Asia-Pacific Member States of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which is held in the Republic of Singapore from 6 to 9 December 2022, under the chairmanship of HE Mrs. Halimah Yacob, President of the Republic of Singapore, together with high-level delegations headed by ministers concerned with labor from (47) countries. Also, in attendance are heads of bodies and organizations of employers and workers in Asia and the Pacific. The delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain taking part in the current session of the conference includes representatives of the Ministry of Labour, headed by Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour, in addition to Mr. Sameer Abdulla Nass, Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representing employers, and Mr. Hassan Abdulla Al-Halwachi, Deputy Secretary-General of the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions, representing workers, and in the presence and participation of Mr. Yaqoob Yousef Mohammed, Chairman of the Executive Council of Bahrain Free Labour Unions Federation (Al Hurr). In her opening speech, H. E. Halimah Yacob, President of Singapore, stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation among the Asia-Pacific countries to ensure the success of economic recovery plans that generate decent jobs, enhance fruitful cooperation between the three production parties in member countries to serve development and production issues in this region. Her Excellency also pointed out the importance of investing in developing the skills needed by the labour markets both now and in the future. The conference will discuss the most important political, economic and social issues in the field of labour related to the Asia-Pacific countries in particular, the development of plans and programs of the International Labour Organization and the budgets allocated to it. Other topics on the conference’s agenda includes the projects and programs on job growth, and the best successful experiences in addressing the economic and social effects of the (Covid-19) pandemic on the economies of the world, and the recovery of labour markets with the receding of the pandemic. It will also concentrate on the need to strengthen tripartite commitment to international labour standards, especially in the area of promoting dialogue and cooperation to achieve greater stability and job generation. The current session of the conference will review the report of Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), in which he addresses the importance of promoting equity and human capacities to take advantage of opportunities in a changing working world. Equally important, the talks will address aspects of supporting employers and workers through digital transformation and upgrading professional, technical and institutional skills in order to promote decent work and continue efforts to grow a sustainable economy. Equivalently, the meetings presented an overview of the financial and investment policies in the labour markets and the possibilities of investing in digital infrastructure to meet future human resource needs in line with economic transformation and market expectations. Similarly, emphasis was placed on strengthening social dialogue between the parties of production, including the creation of economic recovery policies. All the debates emphasize the importance of supporting countries' efforts to promote equality between men and women in labour markets, as well as improving productivity levels in enterprises and activating skills as a means of creating jobs, and developing skills especially for medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs).