ILO Director-General, Gilbert F. Houngbo, and Minister of Labour of the State of Qatar, Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, met during the 346th Session of the ILO’s Governing Body in Geneva.
Director-General Houngbo and Minister Al Marri, accompanied by delegations from both sides, reviewed progress made during the four years of the ongoing Technical Cooperation Programme between the ILO and the State of Qatar.
Progress achieved during the Programme thus far is outlined in an ILO report issued earlier this week.
During the meeting both sides agreed to continue working together on areas of labour reform including occupational safety and health, intensifying efforts to combat forced labour and human trafficking, and supporting companies to revise their policies and procedures in line with the new legislation.
The ILO is ready to continue supporting the State of Qatar, to bring further improvements that benefit all workers.”
Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General
The areas of continued joint work will also include strengthening international cooperation and exchange of experiences, and developing effective and comprehensive labour market policies that contribute to a more competitive knowledge-based economy.
“Recent labour reforms by the State of Qatar have brought positive results. I thank Minister Al Marri for their commitment to pursue these reforms and their implementation, in line with Qatar’s vision 2030. The ILO is ready to continue supporting the State of Qatar, to bring further improvements that benefit all workers,” said Director-General Houngbo.
Minister Al Marri emphasized that the reforms implemented by the State of Qatar in recent years in the labour sector have had a positive impact on working conditions, noting that the success of the reforms in the sector established a valuable experience that can be replicated in other countries.
The Minister affirmed the continuation of joint technical cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and the ILO to support the labour sector in the country, emphasizing the sustainability of joint projects between the Ministry and the ILO in the coming years.
He stressed that the State of Qatar highly values the joint efforts made through the distinguished partnership with the ILO during the past four years that supported labour sector reforms in Qatar.
Minister Al Marri stressed that the State of Qatar is proceeding at a steady pace with labour sector reforms in line with the main principles of Qatar Vision 2030 and a commitment to build a modern and dynamic labour market.
Minister Al Marri congratulated the Director-General on his election to lead the ILO and invited him to visit the State of Qatar during the coming period.