MHRSD participated in the forum on an invitation from the government of the Republic of The Philippines, which hosted the international forum on "Labor Mobility and Human Rights". RIYADH — The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development’s (MHRSD) Control Deputy Minister Satam Al Harbi highlighted the latest labor reform initiative as a key move towards advancing human rights in the labor market in Saudi Arabia in an international forum in which the minister was the keynote speaker. MHRSD participated in the forum on an invitation from the government of the Republic of The Philippines, which hosted the international forum on "Labor Mobility and Human Rights". The forum was held on Tuesday and the HRSD was represented by Al Harbi. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte gave a welcome speech, in which he spoke about the importance of human rights and labor support around the world and thanked the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its efforts in improving the conditions of workers in Saudi Arabia. He highlighted the latest labor reform initiative as a key move towards advancing human rights in the labor market in Saudi Arabia, and improving the lives of expatriates, including Filipino workers there in particular. Al Harbi, in his speech, gave a detailed presentation on the newly introduced labor reform initiative, as well as other related MHRSD programs including the wage protection program, labor contract protection program and the cordial settlement program. All these programs are designed to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, he said. The forum also included a participation from representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who stressed how this initiative is consistent with all the international strategic principles and objectives that promote the creation of a labor market that primarily protects human rights. It is worth mentioning that the labor reform initiative entered into force on March 14, 2021, and during the first month of its implementation, more than 15,000 expatriate workers of different nationalities in all regions of Saudi Arabia benefited from its services. — SPA