Riyadh, May 30, 2023, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated today 30th May 2023 in the Asia-Gulf Cooperation Council Senior Officials Dialogue about the efforts to achieve Sustainable Development and the goals of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
The event included discussions about multiple topics, including recruitment legislations, legislative reforms in GCC countries and cooperation between labor-sending countries and GCC labor markets. HRSD delegate Sattam Alharbi, the Deputy Minister for Control and Development of Work Environment, gave a speech in which he stressed the Kingdom’s keenness on protecting and promoting human rights, including labor rights. He also highlighted the top policies and legislative reforms launched in the past years, which helped improve labor rights, including the “Labor Reform Initiative”, which helped eliminate the kafala system; the “Wage Protection program” and “contract documentation” initiatives; the “Labor Education” initiative which raised workers’ awareness through a dedicated website and multiple media campaigns; and the “Friendly Settlement” initiative which promotes the convergence of views between the worker and the employer. He also mentioned the other recent reforms including the “Contract Termination” initiative, and the “Labor Rights Insurance” initiative.
Alharbi also highlighted HRSD’s efforts in combating trafficking in persons, which complement the national efforts, including combating forced labor and trafficking in persons in the Saudi labor market.
He assured that the Kingdom is constantly working on these programs and projects to improve the work environment for all workers, including migrant workers. It is worth noting that the Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is the first intergovernmental agreement created under the supervision of the UN to cover all aspects of international migration in a comprehensive manner.
It was approved during an intergovernmental conference in Marrakesh, Morocco, 10th December 2018, and KSA’s participation in this event is an extension to its other notable participation s and accomplishments in this respect.
--SPA
21:48 LOCAL TIME 18:48 GMT
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