Saudi Arabia is determined to eradicate unemployment within five years and increase the pace of Saudization, Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi told the ongoing 6th Jeddah Economic Forum yesterday. "There is a plan to employ 120,000 Saudis in the private sector every year," he said focusing on the national employment strategy.
The day also featured Prince Sultan Bin Salman, Head of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, as the moderator for a panel discussion on tourism driving the development of national capabilities. He described the Kingdom's tourism as one of the fastest growing sectors and offered the best environment to create jobs for young people. "Saudization is a reality and the SCT is looking to Saudize 80 percent of the tourism sector," Prince Sultan was quoted as saying by Arab News.
The Egyptian, Malaysian, French and Maldives participants presented the perspective planning of their countries in overcoming obstacles and boosting tourism.
The day's session began with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi delivering his keynote address on the creation of a flexible, learning society. He termed human resource and capital formation as the two most important segments of a developing society. "Malaysia's success is due to its concentration on developing its own people and paying attention to pre-primary education," he said. The country has a program of reducing by 50 percent its dependence on two million foreign work force. "The guiding principles for any country ought to be not to ignore pre-primary education and prevent brain-drain," he said and termed the multiracial, multi-religious Malaysia as a success story, because of the strategy it has adopted in maintaining communal harmony and paying due attention to education and training, aside from checking brain-drain.
Labor Minister Gosaibi emphasized that the ongoing program of Saudization was in full swing and all qualified and skilled Saudis would find jobs. The Kingdom has 75 training institutes with extensive courses for various professions and vocations. "They're expected to train 300,000 young Saudis within three years," the minister said, adding that education is also being given due importance with the opening of 40 more secondary schools Kingdom-wide.
The post-lunch session witnessed an interesting panel discussion in which former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright was among the participants. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa taking part in the discussion said poverty eradication ought to be top of the agenda for any backward or developing nation. "This does not mean that fight against terrorism has to take the back seat. It only means that poverty eradication should be tackled first, followed by the fight against terrorism," he said.
Brazil's Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim gave his country's perspective of foreign policy revolution. "Brazil is experiencing a new awakening toward the Arab world. This is inspired by strong links forged by history and culture," he said. "Not all of you maybe aware that more than 10 million Brazilians trace their ancestry to the Middle East. We've the largest community of people of Arab descent outside the Arab world," he said, adding that aside from the initiatives at the bilateral level his country has been seeking to strengthen ties with regional entities such as the Arab League of which it became the first observer country from South America in 2003.
There were also sessions on building the workforce for the 21st century, fostering innovation and creativity, and embracing womanhood. The three-day forum ends later today.
