This was stated by Minister of Labour Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash in a statement to the media at the conclusion of the forum in the Greek capital, Athens, on Friday.

The fundamental value of the Global Forum on Migration and Development lies in that it provides an open platform to exchange views, ideas and experiences, he said.   The openness in communication, which was a key factor in the success of the forum, must be maintained and the UAE will continue to participate in the forum in the coming years, 
Ghobash said.

The minister said the most prominent achievement of the forum was the unity of the concepts on classification of workers On Friday, Ghobash attended a round-table conference, which was co-chaired by the UAE as part of the activities of the Global Forum on Migration and Development.  The meeting was attended by Abdul Hadi Al Khaja, UAE Ambassador to Greece and the UAE’s official delegation comprising Yousef Abdullah Abdul Ghani, Executive Director for Policy and Strategy in the Ministry of Labour, and Col. Rashid Sultan Al Akhdhar, Director of Legal Affairs in the Ministry 
of Interior.  He said the discussions and decisions on improving the conditions of workers and guaranteeing their rights were well participated by 
the UAE.

The minister said that the labour in the UAE contributed to the economic process, and in return receive the attention, care and keenness of the political leadership in the country. Their rights are always guaranteed, without any compromise.  At the same time, “we always look forward to seeing the temporary workers to return to their homelands to reintegrate with their societies as part of the plans developed by their respective countries for sustainable development,” Ghobash added.

“We all must be aware of the fact that the types of migration are changing with the time, and when we adopt policies in response to this change, we must be flexible and adaptive,” he stated.

“Because of the nature of the needs of the labor market, UAE shows special attention to the models of labour migration with temporary or circular nature. At the same time, the country also perceives very well that it can also take advantage of good practices related to migration models that might be very different,” said the minister.

He reiterated that the UAE was committed to the protection of the rights of workers, according to human rights ratified by the international 
conventions.

So, UAE found warm welcome from the specialized international organizations, he added.

Ghobash said that the UAE was fully aware of the contribution of the contractual workers to the economic development, and in turn, the country is committed to protecting the rights of the workers and enable them to achieve maximum benefit during their stay in the country.