Diplomatic Desk:
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury met with Director General of OIC Labour Centre Azar Bayramov on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference. The meeting was held at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday (June 9, 2026).
In the meeting, the Labour Minister mentioned the contribution of millions of Bangladeshi workers in OIC member countries to the economies of their home countries and destination countries. He called on the OIC Labour Centre to provide more effective protection to migrant workers by ensuring a safe working environment, social protection and dignity in these countries.
The Minister said that OIC member states can benefit from the exchange of best practices in the labour sector and information and data related to the labour market. He mentioned cooperation and labour market coordination among OIC member countries to protect workers facing various challenges in the rapidly changing labour market. He further said that to meet such challenges, it is necessary to develop employable skills of the youth, especially in the fields of science, technology and digital economy.
The Minister called on the OIC Labor Center to play a role in providing technical assistance, job creation and skill development training for the welfare of Bangladeshi migrant workers within Bangladesh and abroad. At the time, he also assured that the Bangladesh government would fully cooperate with the Center in its training, workshops or any skill development activities.
Director General of the OIC Labor Center, Azar Bayramov, thanked Bangladesh for signing the OIC Labor Center Statute. He also requested Bangladesh to ratify the Statute soon. He mentioned that his organization will work specifically to develop the skills of Bangladeshi migrant workers within the OIC countries, and to ensure a safe working environment and social protection.
Labor Secretary Md. Abdur Rahman Tarafdar, Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, Additional Secretary Md. Humayun Kabir, Deputy Secretaries Syed Irtiza Ahsan and Md. Shamsul Islam were present at the meeting.
