Minister of Labor Hassan Raddad said Egypt places youth skills development and aligning those skills with domestic and international labor market needs at the heart of its development efforts, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Raddad said the state is working to strengthen Arab partnerships in training, employment, investment and labor mobility in a way that serves common interests and supports integration among Arab countries.
In remarks delivered on behalf of Egypt before representatives of the three Arab production parties on Monday during the 52nd session of the Arab Labor Conference, being held in Cairo from Sept. 13 to 20 with the participation of the three production parties from 21 Arab countries, Raddad said joint Arab action had become essential to address the economic, social and geopolitical challenges facing the region and the world.
He said the strength of the Arab world should not be measured solely by the resources it possesses, but by its ability to turn those resources into production, jobs, development, social protection and a better future for its peoples. Raddad called for broader Arab cooperation that goes beyond coordinating positions to unifying and intensifying efforts to build wider practical partnerships in training, employment and investment, alongside exchanging expertise, facilitating the movement of capital and labor, and opening Arab labor markets to qualified workers in a way that serves common interests and strengthens the Arab economy's ability to withstand crises.
He stressed that President El Sisi's directives place support for all forms of joint Arab action at the forefront of Egypt's priorities, based on a firm conviction that Arab cooperation should pave the way for greater production, more jobs and investment, and deeper integration among Arab peoples and countries.
Raddad congratulated Jordanian Minister of Labor Nidal Al-Qatamin on his chairmanship of the 52nd Arab Labor Conference, wishing him success. He also expressed appreciation to Arab Labor Organization (ALO) Director-General Fayez Al-Mutairi for his efforts to develop the organization and advance Arab labor issues.
He said the conference was being held amid highly complex economic, social and geopolitical conditions that had created interconnected challenges for Arab countries, including disruptions to supply chains and higher energy, transportation and insurance costs, in addition to pressures facing the global economy and labor markets.
These circumstances, he stressed, make joint Arab action indispensable. Raddad underlined the importance of moving from coordinating positions to building practical partnerships in training, employment, investment, exchange of expertise and labor mobility. He said he had closely reviewed the Director-General's report for the current session, titled "Sustainable Economic Growth: Towards Inclusive and Equitable Social Development in Arab Countries," and its vision highlighting the close link between economic growth, social protection and sustainable development.
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