11 nations to review rights of Asian migrant workers

Eleven Asian manpower exporting nations are scheduled to make a combined response to ensure rights of their migrant workers in foreign lands at an upcoming ministerial meeting of 'Colombo Process' in the city on April 20-21, reports BSS. "At the meeting, operating modalities of Colombo Process will be fixed for first time to give an institutional shape to the forum," Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan said in an exclusive interview on the upcoming high level meeting, to be held first time in the country. Official level meeting of the 'Colombo Process', a regional forum for Asian labour supplying nations, would be held on April 19 while the main plenary sessions at ministerial levels will take place on April 20-21 to be followed by formal adoption of 'Dhaka Declaration'. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the opening ceremony to be held on April 20 at Hotel Pan-Pacific Sonargaon in the city where she will launch the operation of Probashi Kalyan Bank (Expatriates' Welfare Bank), marked as one of the major successes of the present government in ensuring welfare of around seven million expatriates of the country. Dr Zafar said the Dhaka Declaration would put special emphasis on protection of rights of the migrant workers and ensure their total welfare upholding the main theme of this year's conference-"Migration With Dignity". Besides ministers and high level officials of the member countries, over 50 observers are likely to attend the conference from different labour receiving countries of the European Union and the Middle East including Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, Yemen, the UK and the USA.