The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been an ILO member state since 1972 and has ratified nine ILO Conventions, including six core Conventions. The UAE hosts some eight million foreign labourers – equivalent to over 80 per cent of the country’s resident population – making it one of the largest foreign labour-receiving countries in the world. With Emirati nationals mainly employed in the public sector, foreign workers constitute the bulk of private sector employment. Following an ILO technical scoping mission to the UAE, three interlinked areas of mutual interest for collaboration were identified and a technical cooperation programme was launched in 2016 to improve labour market information systems and foreign labour governance. More on the UAE