AUC Chief of staff meets with UAE delegation to kick-starting partnership on Labour Migration

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August 27, 2019

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 27 August 2019: The African Union Commission through the Chief of Staff, Amb. Abdoulaye Diop received and welcomed a delegation from United Arab Emirates represented by Mr. Abdulla Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Director - International Relations, UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, along with Representatives from Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) comprising of Mr. Abdullaziz AlShamsi, Executive Unit of International Organisations and Ms. Alia Ibrahim Mohammad, Head of Abu Dhabi Dialogue Section. The meeting aimed at kick-starting a partnership on labour Migration between the AU department of Social Affairs and Abu Dhabi Dialogue.

H.E the Chief of Staff met with the delegation on behalf of the Commissioner of Social Affairs, H.E. Amira Elfadil. Amb. Diop reiterated the eagerness of the Commission to enhance cooperation with the UAE as well as the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD).

Amb. Diop congratulated the UAE for assuming the chairmanship of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) in October during the meeting of its Ministers in Dubai, and for assuming the Chairmanship of the Global Forum on Migration and Development in 2020, stressing that “the role of the UAE in the ADD and the Global Forum on migration and development will help the cooperation with Africa.” He informed that the AUC will be organizing an AU-GCC/ADD workshop in Addis Ababa in November 2019 at an experts’ level, to start exploring multilateral cooperation between the two regions. He expressed the hope that the UAE and the ADD will participate in the event. This suggestion was well received and an invitation will be extended accordingly.

The meeting further deliberated on the forthcoming Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) Forum in October 17, 2019. The Chief of Staff then expressed appreciation to the UAE for the fruitful discussions with an AUC delegation that visited Dubai in July 2019, to explore multilateral cooperation with the ADD and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). He also thanked the UAE for inviting the Commission and 5 RECs to attend, as observers, the forthcoming meeting of ADD Ministers that will take place in October 2019, in Dubai.

In his intervention, Mr. Al Nuaimi thanked the Chief of Staff for the warm welcome. He recalled the growing cooperation with African countries through bilateral MoUs with Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia. He stressed the willingness and interest of UAE and the ADD to extend that cooperation to a multilateral platform with the AUC in the form of the ADD process, for workers protection.
Mr. Al Nuaimi underlined the importance of the ADD meeting of Ministers in Dubai, in October and requested the Commission to kindly facilitate the participation of the RECs and their RCPs, by supporting the nomination of delegates in the 5 RECs (ECOWAS, COMESA, IGAD, SADC and ECCAS).
The two sides converged on the relevancy of and the need for a multilateral labour migration framework in the form of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, considering the proximity of the two regions, to complement, sustain and improve the related bilateral agreements. UAE/ADD believes that AUC can be a key player in improving the growing bilateral cooperation. In conclusion, UAE/ADD proposed to discuss and have a joint project with the AUC to this effect.
For further information:
Oumar Diop | Department of Social Affairs | African Union Commission I E-mail: DiopO@africa-union.org I Esther Azaa Tankou | Head of Information Division | E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org | Tel: +251911361185
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia