Middle East & North Africa Summit

Labor Regulation and Workers' Rights can be directly associated with the issues of a country's working population, encompassing everything from worker exploitation to unemployment, and how a country intends to improve such conditions. Regulations for improving labor industries tend to lead to the goal of decent work. The International Labor Organization defines decent work as opportunities for work that provide security, fairness in income, equality in treatment of individuals, and the ability to express dissatisfaction within a job.

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, citizens face obstacles in advocating for these rights in their workplaces. Such obstacles include the Kafala System, lack of inclusion for women in the workplace, and youth unemployment. MENA countries often impose strict regulations, preventing individuals from moving to higher-quality work. For example in the cases of high labor taxes, which promote informal employment because of higher costs for employers. Minimum wage regulation can also prevent upward movement and exclude certain individuals from earning the standard.

In Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, the government uses the Kafala System, a group of laws and policies established for foreign workers to be sponsored domestically. In this system, the sponsor holds immense power over the foreign worker. They have control over their legal status and the worker has no protection under labor laws in the country they are working in.

Loose regulation among factors such as societal pressures and the absence of data to thoroughly address the topic causes a lack of inclusion in the workplace. Specifically, for advancing women's labor force participation rate within the region, the legal frameworks of governments are underdeveloped. The low participation rate for women stems from issues such as limited or no maternity leave for women within MENA countries. Youth unemployment remained an issue for the region at large. It remains higher than the global average due to conflict, little growth in private sectors, and the prevalence of informal employment within the region.

Disparities in access to healthcare, especially quality healthcare, are prevalent within the MENA region. Quality healthcare is characterized by being effective, safe, equitable for all, and organized by people’s needs. These disparities can vary within MENA because of issues such as conflicts and economic unreliability. Access to healthcare and healthcare workers within rural spaces in MENA countries is difficult for citizens, resulting in healthcare deserts because of the physical obstacles in the ability to obtain optimal care.

Community health workers (CHWs), individuals who aid underserved communities with healthcare services in MENA, are essential in their communities, providing natal care, vaccinations, and other needed services. These workers are the primary healthcare for many within MENA countries.

Gaps in accessibility in healthcare manifest in certain health services, such as vaccinations for children and natal care for mothers. Moreover, differences in socioeconomic status and geographical location exacerbate these inequalities.

Governments in the MENA region heavily rely on censorship, characterized by the restriction or repression of offensive content. Though difficult to discern, many MENA governments use censorship as a way to repress information for their benefit, ignoring international human rights provisions and the Rabat Plan of Action, which guides nations into how they should categorize hate-based speech versus freedom of speech.

Additionally, nations within the summit put vague cybercrime laws in place that can be distorted to repress the free speech of both the media and individual persons. These laws propel nations within the region farther towards digital authoritarianism, using different tactics to suppress individual criticism towards the government and expression of opinion in general. One such tactic is internet shutdowns, which are prevalent throughout MENA nations to control information in times of conflict, undermining the safety of citizens. Another example is the blocking of content or websites due to material that criticizes the nation’s government.