The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will collaborate on a series of capacity building workshops on subjects from the world of work for private sector professionals and government officials.

At a ceremony held in Doha today, representatives of ADLSA, QFC and ILO signed an agreement for this programme which will see a series of workshops and events take place until 2022.

The initiative forms part of the technical cooperation framework between ILO and ADLSA. Training will be carried out by the ILO's International Training Centre (ILO-ITC) which has over 50 years' experience in providing training and services to governments, employers and workers relating to decent work and sustainable development.

Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Financial Centre Authority said, "QFC is committed to ensuring high employment standards and supports its members in this regard. We are therefore honoured to collaborate with both the ILO and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs to boost the capacity of staff working in this important field."

Training carried out under the agreement will build the capacity of key personnel within the QFC, QFC member companies as well as the ADLSA relating to human-resources and workplace issues. Areas of focus will include negotiation skills, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), labour inspection, workplace relations and staff development.

Participants will also include employment standards officers, HR managers, OSH managers, compliance managers as well as labour inspectors from ADLSA.

Speaking at the signing ceremony His Excellency Dr Issa Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs said, "This programme forms an important part of our collaboration with ILO in Qatar. It provides an excellent opportunity for labour inspectors to learn international best practices while sharing experiences with counterparts from the private sector."

The partnership will kick off with a three-day workshop on negotiation skills held in Doha from 1-3 October 2018. During the event participants will learn and practice approaches to dispute resolution, problem solving models and various negotiation techniques.

Houtan Homayounpour, Head of ILO's Project Office for the State of Qatar highlighted the importance of the initiative.

"It is important to build a culture of workplace cooperation that prevents disputes arising, yet if they do arise to also know how to handle them fairly and effectively. This series of training programmes will build skills within institutions which will ultimately benefit the government, employers and workers alike."   

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) is an onshore business and financial centre located in Doha, Qatar and provides a platform for over 500 firms to do business in Qatar and the region. The International Labour Organization's International Training Centre (ILO-ITC) is the training arm of the ILO based in Turin, Italy.