STAR BUSINESS REPORT

Bangladesh and Pakistan have agreed to deepen cooperation in the labour sector, with both sides stressing the need for joint initiatives to address challenges in overseas employment and skills development.

At a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Sixth OIC Labour Ministers’ Conference in Doha, Labour and Employment Adviser M. Sakhawat Hossain called for coordinated measures to resolve problems in the expatriate labour market, according to a press release issued yesterday.

He highlighted the importance of improving communication links to expand trade and tourism, enhancing sea and air connectivity, and promoting cultural cooperation.

Pakistan’s Labour Minister Faisal Ayub Khokhar highlighted the need for regular labour dialogue and technical collaboration.

Both ministers expressed interest in launching joint training programmes, boosting human resource development, generating employment, exchanging labour market information, and strengthening labour migration systems.

The two countries agreed to intensify collaboration in training and skills exchange to better prepare workers for global opportunities, according to the press release.

Senior officials from the labour ministry and the Bangladesh Embassy attended the meeting in Qatar.

The two-day OIC conference, themed “Local Experience, Global Achievements: Success Stories in the Islamic World,” is being attended by labour ministers of member states, international organisations, experts, and civil society representatives.