In recent years, platforms for contributing to the international dialogue on migration have multiplied at the regional and inter-regional levels. These efforts underlie the now common understanding that migration is a transnational phenomenon which impacts countries of origin, transit, and destination, and that balancing divergent national interests along with the needs and rights of migrants themselves is essential for ensuring beneficial development outcomes for all. Embedded in a common understanding that migration and development are inexorably linked, and underscoring the need for the economic, social, and human rights of migrants to be safeguarded, regional consultative platforms allow for improved dialogue and cooperation amongst nations that face similar challenges around migration. In addition to enhancing the exchange of experiences and improving policy coordination, such efforts also play an important role by diffusing regional perspectives into the broader, global migration agenda.

This paper is intended to contribute to the ongoing debate on regional cooperation and policy harmonization on labor migration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The first section of this paper briefly reviews the general trends in migration to the region, highlighting the fact that the GCC demonstrates the highest density of migrants to nationals seen anywhere in the world. In the second and third sections the primary structural features of regional labor migration are discussed, in particular the impact of kafala arrangements and the transnational labor brokerage system that brings workers to the Gulf.