By studying the situation of Dubai, lessons will be learnt for how the legal, normative and policy framework for the protection of the rights of migrant workers may gradually be brought in line with international standards in other neighbouring states. The findings of this research will be circulated amongst relevant government ministries in the UAE as well as national and international civil society actors active in the promotion of worker’s rights.
 
It will also be distributed to relevant United Nations bodies concerned with human rights, particularly those promoting migrant worker’s rights and the responsibilities of business in the promotion of human rights.
 
Timetable
After an initial period of library research and analysis of relevant existing international laws and norms – both currently in force and under development – the project will be concerned with gaining insight into the practicability of advancing these norms and laws in the UAE political, trade and investment environment. This will be ascertained by seeking interviews with relevant personalities with first-hand experience of this issue. These will either be telephone interviews or one-to-one meetings in London. Subsequently, attention will be given to supplementing this information and these insights with first-hand knowledge from the field. Interviews will be conducted with key individuals and organisations in Dubai and the rest of the UAE. The aim of these interviews will be to explore the most promising avenues for advancing labour rights through the prism of securing a sustainable trade and investment environment in Dubai.
 
The proposed research timetable is as follows:
1- Background research and review of the relevant laws and norms, organizational structures, rules and regulations and other literature on the project (May-mid-August 2006)
2- Study trip to Geneva, researching successful policy frameworks for the protection of migrant workers at the IOM and the International Labour Organisation (mid-late August 2006)
3- Carrying out interviews on advancing labour laws and norms in Dubai through a business prism by interviewing relevant individuals (September-November 2006)
4- Field work – conducting interviews with relevant government ministries, embassies, civil society actors in Dubai and the UAE. (December 2006)
5- Analysing and synthesizing the above to produce a substantive policy study paper, and submitting an article on the findings. (January-March 2007).
6- Producing a précis document on the findings and distributing it to a variety of stakeholders (April 2007)