Photo: PID

DHAKA, 9 June 2026 (BSS) - Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque 
Choudhury held a meeting with Director General of the OIC Labour Center Azar 
Bayramov on the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC).

The meeting took place today at the United Nations office in Geneva, 
Switzerland. 

During the discussion, the labour minister highlighted the significant 
contribution of millions of Bangladeshi workers in OIC member states to both 
host and home country economies.

He called upon the OIC Labour Center to strengthen efforts in ensuring safe 
working environments, social protection, and dignity for migrant workers 
across OIC countries, stressing the need for more effective protection 
mechanisms. 

The minister said that OIC member states could greatly benefit from enhanced 
cooperation through the exchange of best practices and labour market data. 

He also underscored the importance of greater coordination among OIC 
countries to address emerging challenges in the rapidly changing global 
labour market. 

Emphasising youth employment, the minister said that developing skills-
particularly in science, technology, and the digital economy-is essential to 
meet future labour market demands. 

He urged the OIC Labour Center to take initiatives for technical assistance, 
job creation, and skills development training for both domestic and migrant 
Bangladeshi workers. He also assured Bangladesh's full cooperation in 
training workshops and capacity-building programmes organized by the Centre.

In response, OIC Labour Center Director General Azar Bayramov thanked 
Bangladesh for signing the statute of the OIC Labour Center and urged its 
early ratification.

He assured that the Centre would work actively to enhance skills development 
for Bangladeshi migrant workers within OIC countries, as well as to promote 
safe working conditions and social protection.

Senior officials from Bangladesh attending the meeting included Labour 
Secretary Md. Abdur Rahman Tarafdar, Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, Additional 
Secretary Md. Humayun Kabir, Deputy Secretaries Syed Ehtiza Ahsan and Md. 
Shamsul Islam.