Labour Minister meets ILO Director-General at Asia-Pacific Conference in Singapore

08-12-2022

H.E. Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, met with Mr. Gilbert Hongbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), on the sidelines of his participation in the 17th Conference of the Asia-Pacific Region of the ILO, held in the Republic of Singapore from 6 to 9 December 2022. Humaidan praised the technical cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the ILO, and the organization's support for many programs and initiatives related to labor affairs launched by the Kingdom that contributed to achieving stability and steady growth in the labor market in recent years. During the meeting, Humaidan discussed a number of issues of common interest, and reviewed the most prominent projects and advanced strategic plans adopted by the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain to raise employment rates for citizens and maintain the unemployment rate within safe and low limits within the framework of the economic recovery plan. Both sides also discussed the initiatives and programs implemented by the Government of Bahrain in cooperation with production partners, employers and workers, within the framework of continuous care for the rights of the workforce, ensuring equality between different categories of workers and combating all forms of discrimination and trafficking in persons. HE the Minister of Labour provided details on the advanced steps taken by Bahrain to ensure the stability in labour relations during the global spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He precisely talked about the measures taken to provide financial and economic support packages that contributed to the stability of employment in various productive sectors and the importance of strengthening social protection systems for workers. Additionally, he expressed admiration for the pioneering model launched by the Kingdom of Bahrain in cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO) concerning unemployment insurance in 2006. In turn, the Director-General of the Organization lauded the innovative experiences brought about by the Kingdom of Bahrain, especially relating to the positive cooperation between the three production parties and developing social dialogue to serve labour and production issues. Hongbo saluted the efforts made by Bahrain to combat the negative effects of the (Covid-19) pandemic on the labour market and its keenness to achieve financial, economic and social support for all workers in Bahrain.