Business and migration: Strengthening dialogue between the private sector and governments

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming high-level forum “Business and migration: Strengthening dialogue between the private sector and governments” hosted by the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA), the International Organization of Employers (IOE), and the International labour Organization (ILO) Project Office for the State of Qatar. The event will take place in Doha, on 1 October 2019 at the Palazzo Ballroom, Marsa Malaz Kempinski Hotel, The Pearl – Doha, Qatar.

The forum will provide an opportunity for businesses to engage with Governments and other stakeholders on labour migration issues. The discussion will focus on key labour reforms in the State of Qatar as well as international good practices in migration governance.

The outcome of the forum will be presented as part of the business contribution to the 2019 Global Forum on Migration and Development annual Summit to be held in Ecuador in November 2019.

We hope you can join us and look forward seeing you at the event. To confirm your attendance please register now, no later than 29 September 2019.

Opening remarks (9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.) 

• H.E. Yousuf Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs
• Rashid Hamad Hazza Al-Athba, Second Vice-Chairman, Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QICC)
• Michelle Leighton, Chief of Labour Migration Branch, International Labour Organization
• Stéphanie Winet, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, International Organisation of Employers

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Panel 1: Labour migration reforms in light of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 (9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)
Migration and labour laws in Qatar are in the process of transformation. This panel will present these key reforms and areas for future development, which aim to further improve migrants’ experiences, create a level playing field for businesses and attract new companies and investment to the country. 

• Mohammed Al Obaidly, Assistant Under-Secretary for Labour Affairs, ADLSA
• Nasser Ahmed M Al-Meer, Employer Representative, Former Board Member of QCCI
• Karima Cherifi, Human Resources Director GCC countries, Nexans/Qatar International Cables Company
• Samer Abdel Hamid, General Manager, General Electric, Grid Solutions

Moderated by: Houtan Homayounpour, Head, ILO Project Office for the State of Qatar.

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Panel 2: International good practice in migration governance (10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)

Governments and Businesses have to consider a number of factors when recruiting and employing foreign employees. This panel will look into migration governance good practices worldwide. 

• Pietro Mona, Ambassador for Development, Forced Displacement and Migration, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
• Azeem Mohiuddin, Practice Leader, Fragomen Qatar
• Ghassan Kosta, Country Manager, Dell EMC
• Virgilio Carter, Human Resource Manager, Raytheon

Moderated by: Murtaza Khan, GFMD Business Mechanism

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Coffee break (11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) 

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Special Panel – Governance of temporary labour mobility – Lessons learned in the preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022 (12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.)

In the preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022, there has been and will be an influx of temporary workers required for different sectors, including the construction sector. This high demand for workers has driven positive change in the governance of labour mobility and working and living conditions. 

• Mohammed Al-Hajri, Compliance and Audits Senior Manager (Acting), Workers’ Welfare, Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy
• Hans Mielants, Human Resource Director, QDVC
• Sebtain Nasser, CEO, STS Group

Moderated by: Ryszard Cholewinski, Senior Migration Specialist, ILO Regional Office for Arab States

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Special Panel – The hospitality industry: an innovative model of sectoral engagement (12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.) 

The government of Qatar in partnership with the ILO and the hospitality industry have started since 2018 an innovative collaboration at three levels: a strategic dialogue to ensure coordination and identify leverage, a working group with the entire sector to build the capacity of hotels on labour laws and migration reforms, as well as pilot interventions with selected hotels to achieve fair recruitment and establish joint committees.

• Shaikha Al Khater, Director of International Labour Relations Department, ADLSA
• Aseem Kapoor, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel
• Idriss Sidig, Human Resources Director, Hilton Hotels

Moderated by: Alix Nasri, Labour Migration and Employment Specialist, ILO project Office for the State of Qatar

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Closing remarks (1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

• Stéphanie Winet, Head of Stakeholder Engagement, International Organisation of Employers
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Lunch (2:00 p.m.), hosted by Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Kindly note online registration is now closed.

If you would like to attend the event and haven’t registered online, please bring your business card to the event to register on site.

Thank you.