PH Embassy Hosts KSA Labor Forum
Delegates from labor-sending countries attend the Labor Forum hosted by the Philippine Embassy. (Riyadh PE photo)
RIYADH 07 October 2021 – The Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia hosted the fourth meeting of the KSA Labor Forum on 27 September 2021. Delegates from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam, all labor-sending countries, attended the forum.
Deputy Minister Sattam Alharbi of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) was the guest speaker for the forum. Mr. Alharbi is one of the principal authors of the Labor Reform Initiative (LRI).
Common issues experienced by the labor-sending countries were raised, mainly on the vulnerability of the LRI to circumvention by unscrupulous employers, the need to improve digital literacy among migrant workers of different skill levels, and the exclusion of domestic workers from the LRI.
In response, Deputy Minister Alharbi assured the forum that MHRSD is taking measures to provide further protection for domestic workers such as increasing engagements with the Embassies of labor- sending countries to the Kingdom, initiating awareness campaign on the benefits of the LRI, and updating regulations to protect the rights and welfare of domestic workers. END
Guest speaker Deputy Minister Sattam Alharbi of MHRSD (Riyadh PE photo)
From left: Heads of Delegation from: Nepal (Mr. Rishi Raj Acharya, First Secretary), Sri Lanka (Mr. Dulmith Waruna Vithranage, Charge d’ Affaires, a.i.), Nepal (Mr. Dilip Kumar Paudel, Charge d’ Affaires, a.i.), Vietnam (Mrs. Nguyen Thanh Huyen, Second Secretary), India (H.E. Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, Ambassador), MHRSD (H.E. Sattam Alharbi, Deputy Minister), Philippines (H.E. Adnan V. Alonto, Ambassador), Bangladesh (H.E. Mohammad Javed Patwary, BPM, Ambassador), Pakistan (H.E. Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Bilal Akbar, Ambassador), Indonesia (Mr. Suseno Hadi, Labour Attaché), and Sri Lanka (Mr. H.W. Samantha, Counsellor, Employment and Welfare). (Riyadh PE photo)
From left: Members of Delegation from: Nepal (Mr. Rishi Raj Acharya, First Secretary), Bangladesh (MD. Abdul Hassan Mridha, Deputy Chief of Mission), Philippines (Mr. Fidel A. Macauyag, Labour Attaché), Bangladesh (Mr. Mamunur Rashid, Legal Assistant and Interpreter), India (Mr. N. Ram Prasad, Deputy Chief of Mission), Philippines (Mr. Rommel A. Romato, First Secretary and Consul General), Indonesia (Mr. Dumas Amali Radityo, First Secretary, Protocol and Consular Affairs), Pakistan (Mr. Malek Mohammad Abu Bakar, Welfare Attaché), and Vietnam (Mr. Ho Sy An). (Riyadh PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.riyadhpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinKSA or https://twitter.com/PHLinKSA.