Bahrain is represented at the dialogue and preparatory meetings by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority Chief Executive Osama bin Abdullah Al-Absi.
The high-profile dialogue features four general sessions and four round table meetings. It will provide a platform to exchange views on the impact of international immigration on sustainable development and determining related priorities in light of preparing a framework for development after 2015. Discussions will also focus on measures to protect the human rights of immigrants, including mainly women and children, banning immigrants smuggling and human trafficking and ensuring organised, legal and safe immigration.
The Arab League held a regional consultative meeting on international immigration and development in the Arab region at its headquarters in Cairo last June to prepare for the second high-profile dialogue, currently held in New York. It was organised by the Arab League Secretariat General, the Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Al-Absi said in a statement that the international dialogue is an initiative by the UN to tackle the impact of immigration on development with practical methods. He added that the Arab Group meeting stems from awareness of the need for Arab coordination at international gatherings.