ABU DHABI — The UAE"s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced that the recruitment of Filipino workers via official and accredited entities in both countries will start from April 2021. The announcement was made at the end of the meetings held recently in the Philippine capital, Manila, between a delegation from the ministry, led by Saif Al Suwaidi, undersecretary at the Ministry for Human Resources Affairs, and Silvestre Bello, secretary of the Department of Labour and Employment of the Philippines, with the attendance of several officials. Al Suwaidi stressed that the meetings are part of the ministry’s strategy for boosting its cooperation with countries that send workers to the UAE, to provide domestic workers to employers and the families of citizens and residents in the country. He also pointed out that the agreement involves recruiting Filipino domestic workers via official entities from April 2021, which will begin a new phase of bilateral cooperation between the two friendly countries in the recruitment of domestic workers. Al Suwaidi added that the agreement will control and regulate the recruitment process, maintain the rights of all involved parties, and reduce the overall costs of this process. The meetings also presented the precautionary procedures implemented by the UAE to protect workers, including domestic workers, from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its efforts to offer medical treatment to patients. — WAM