CCDH in Fourth Arab-European Human Rights Dialogue on Migrant Workers’ Rights
The Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) participates in the fourth Arab-European human rights dialogue on migrant workers’ rights, held in the Hague Peace Palace, the Netherlands, on March 11-13, 2009, by the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Jordanian National Center for Human Rights and the Moroccan Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH).This dialogue session was part of a series of high level meetings organized by the network of Arab and European national human rights institutions, established in 2007. So far, the meetings of these institutions made it possible to discuss issues of human rights, particularly access to information, measures to combat terrorism and discrimination, and immigration.
This meeting aimed to tackle migrant workers’ rights and labour market in the European region and the region of the Middle East and North Africa, mainly in the countries where there are human rights councils or commissions.
The participants tackled different issues at many levels. Strategically, light was shed on how to outline a common strategy towards migrant workers’ human rights both nationally, regionally and internationally. Also, participants addressed responses to migrant workers’ human rights issues in Europe and the Arab World, learned lessons and comparative experiences.
Institutionally, emphasis was put on developing adequate capabilities in the field of information, communication, early crisis warning, bargaining and coalition building to advance migrant workers’ human rights across all sectors and at all levels: nationally, regionally and internationally. The participants stressed the role that should be played by NHRIs to promote and protect migrant workers’ human rights.
Legally, there was a focus on current international and regional legislations and practices, challenges, gaps, and legal and political constraints to migrant workers’ human rights and labor and social rights (including labor markets and labor standards).