ISLAMABAD: Pakistan fully supports the initiatives taken by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to ensure legal and social protection for workers, said Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Pir Syed Saddaruddin Shah Rashidi.

“It is encouraging to see that the OIC has successfully identified issues related to labour, employment and social protection. It has provided a platform to member countries to develop consensus on socio-economic development and decent work opportunities,” the minister said at the fourth OIC Labour Ministers Conference held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Feb 21-22.

According to a press release issued here on Friday, the conference was aimed at exploring the labour market challenges in OIC countries along with ways to generate and sustain job opportunities, as well as exchanging information on policies and successful programmes.

The conference also addressed the implementation of youth employment programmes, activities of the OIC occupational safety and health network, and the OIC public employment services network.

Mr Rashidi said that Pakistan had developed a legal and institutional framework to protect the rights of workers and to ensure fair and managed emigration of the workforce abroad.

The minister said Pakistan was manpower-rich country which provided trained manpower to many countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia.

Mr Rashidi also held meetings with Turkish Labour Minister Julide Sarieroglu, Kuwait’s Labour Minister Hind al Sabeeh, UAE Labour Minister Nasser Al Thani Al Hamli and Somalia’s Labour Minister Salah Ahmed Jama on the sidelines of the conference. The conference was jointly organised by the Saudi Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the OIC. The theme this year was ‘developing a common strategy for manpower deve­lop­ment’.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2018