The FINANCIAL -- Under the patronage of H.E. the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the Arab Labour Organization (ALO) will host the Arab Employment Forum (AEF) in Beirut on 19-21 October 2009.

Keynote speakers will include Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Ahmed Luqman, Director-General of the ALO and labour ministers from across the Arab world.

"High-level participants from 22 Arab governments will join employer and worker representatives, as well as representatives of academia, the UN system and think tanks to address the broad challenges and opportunities posed to the region by the global economic and jobs crisis," ILO reported.

The Forum will seek to build on momentum created by the 35th Arab Labour Conference held in April 2009, which called for greater regional cooperation and coordination with the ILO to address the economic and jobs crisis. Participants will consider how the ILO Global Jobs Pact (Note 2) can provide a framework for developing national and regional initiatives to address both the effects of the crisis and the longer-term development agenda of countries in the region.

The Forum will receive a new report on the impact of the global economic crisis on labour markets in the Arab States, as well as thematic papers on a range of issues including, labour migration, labour standards, social protection, enterprise development, employment and the role of social dialogue in forging a response to the crisis.

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