The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is considering cooperation in the field of labor

On 10 March 2019, the OIC hosted at the headquarters of the Secretariat the third meeting of the Steering Committee of the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Labor. The meeting reviewed the Executive Program of the OIC Framework for Cooperation in the Field of Labor. The Committee also discussed the implementation of the Organization's Agreement on Mutual Recognition Arrangements for the Skilled Manpower, the ILO Standard Bilateral Agreement on Manpower Exchange and the ILO Strategy for the Labor Market. The meeting began with the speech of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of the current session of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers, delivered by Dr. Abdullah bin Nasser Abu Thuneen, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development for Labor, where he stressed that the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Labor contributed greatly to enhancing cooperation among Member States, A set of common goals, objectives and programs for employment policies, taking into account the fact that unemployment in most OIC countries remains high, especially among young people. The Delegation noted the need for the Steering Committee to assess the progress made in the implementation of the cooperation programs that had been adopted, while calling for concrete and feasible measures for the success of collective efforts to meet the challenges of employment. For his part, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs, Ambassador Hamid Obelero, made the statement that the Steering Committee of the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Labor provides a good opportunity to review the progress made in the implementation of OIC programs, particularly the decisions of the Ministers of Labor on Labor and Employment. Since the fourth session of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 21-22 February 2018, the OIC and its institutions, with the support and contribution of Member States, have completed a number of activities to implement the various programs and projects of the Organization in the field of Labor and Employment. The Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs briefed the members of the Steering Committee on the outcome of the 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers held last week in Abu Dhabi. The Council reiterated the need to re-establish the Executive Program for the Implementation of the OIC Framework for Cooperation in the Field of Employment, Members to review their experiences on labor and employment issues with a view to developing capacities and exchanging experiences in relevant areas of cooperation.