(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – The 4th Ministerial consultation of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue will commence in Colombo today (23rd Monday) with the participation of Ministers of Foreign Employment of member countries.
Sri Lanka was unanimously elected to be the next Chair-in-Office of the 17-member ADD among Asian countries of labour origin and destination at the 3rd Ministerial Consultation in Dubai last year.
Minister of Foreign Employment Thalatha Athukorala was appointed the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue for a period of two years.
The ADD formed in 2008, brings together Asian labour sending and receiving countries, seeking to boost protection and improve conditions of employment for millions of foreign workers in the Gulf.
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam are members of the ADD.
The 4th ministerial consultation in Colombo will focus on bilateral and multilateral cooperation in cooperating challenges associated with labour recruitment and consider alternatives to the prevalent recruitment models as a main item of the consultation’s agenda.
