A pilot project aimed at increasing the benefits of labour mobility
in Asia has been launched in Manila by the governments of India,
the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The project, which was announced on the fringes of the Global
Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), is backed by IOM and
will focus on introducing policies  to improve the recruitment
of temporary contractual workers, their working and living
conditions in the UAE, and their economic and social reintegration
when they return home.
The initiative is a practical outcome of the Abu Dhabi
Declaration signed by 20 Asian migrants sending and destination
countries* in January 2008. The agreement called for multilateral
cooperation to protect the rights of temporary contractual workers,
while enhancing their contribution to both their countries of
origin and destination.
Every year almost three million Asian contract workers travel to
Asia, Europe and North America. Many arrive in the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) countries, which include the UAE.
The pilot project will identify and test best practices in the
administration of the temporary contractual employment cycle
focusing on a selected group of some 3,000 Filipino and Indian
workers in the construction, health care and hospitality
sectors.
Its objectives include the development of more transparent
recruitment processes, contracts that are fully understood by the
workers, pre-departure orientation and an end to the charging of
excessive or illegal recruitment fees.
Better mechanisms including post-arrival counselling and hotline
assistance will also be created for workers to resolve issues
associated with their contracts and unsatisfactory working or
living conditions.
The project will be overseen by a steering committee made up of
representatives from India's Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
(MOIA), the Philippines' Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE)
and UAE's Ministry of Labour (MOL), together with ILO, ALO and
IOM. 
1) The parties to the Abu Dhabi Declaration are 11 countries of
origin Afghanistan; Bangladesh; China; India; Indonesia; Nepal;
Pakistan; Philippines; Sri Lanka; Thailand; and Vietnam.Countries
of destination include: Bahrain; Kuwait; Malaysia; Oman; Qatar;
Saudi Arabia; Singapore; United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
For more information please contact:
Jean-Philippe Chauzy
E-mail:
"mailto:pchauzy@iom.int">pchauzy@iom.int
Tel. + 41  79 285 43 66 (Swiss mobile)
or
Chris Lom
E-mail:
"mailto:clom@iom.int">clom@iom.int.
Tel. +63.9154036919 (Philippines mobile.)