Qatar has participated in the special session to discuss the director-generals' report on the situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories, on the sidelines of the 112th Session of the International Labor Conference, currently held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Qatar was represented at the session by Assistant Undersecretary for Expatriate Labor Affairs at the Ministry of Labor Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman al-Thani. In her speech during the session, Sheikha Najwa expressed the appreciation of Qatar for the decision of the Board of Directors of the International Labor Organisation (ILO) to hold a special session to discuss the conditions of workers in the occupied Arab territories, hoping to continue holding this special session in the future sessions of the conference until the situation of Palestinian workers changes on the ground.
She explained that the director-generals' report on workers in the occupied Arab territories reflects the deteriorating economic and social conditions and the high levels of unemployment that have reached their highest levels in the Gaza Strip. She noted Israel's continued violation of the Palestinian workers' rights , the tightening of restrictions imposed on the freedom of movement of workers and the failure to provide occupational health and safety conditions.
Sheikha Najwa pointed out to the need for the International Labor Organization to take the necessary measures to help about 5,000 workers from Gaza without work and shelter, as well as strengthening its efforts to provide emergency humanitarian aid to the three production parties in Gaza and in the occupied Palestinian territories.
She called on ILO member-states and social partners to use all available mechanisms to pressure the Israeli authorities to respect their obligations as an occupying authority towards Palestinian workers under international law, international humanitarian law, and international labor standards, especially the basic labour agreements.
