The Pope commended the UAE for its 'openness' towards foreign workers, many of whom are Catholic Filippinos, on the occasion of receiving the UAE's first ambassador to the Vatican (full story here). It seems a shame that this occasion has not triggered more discussion about the abuses that migrant workers suffer from in the UAE.

The UAE has opened its borders to workers from all over the world - most of them low-paid manual workers from the developing world- opening up new horizons of economic opportunity. However, in all too many cases the government has failed to protect the fundamental rights and basic human dignity of its guest workers.