Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has called for developing new and upgraded mechanisms for regional Arab integration through facilitating inter-trade, the exchange of goods and services, the movement of capital, the promotion of joint investments and the movement of workforce between Arab countries.
The Egyptian leader’s call was contained in his speech inaugurating the 47th Arab Labour Conference, which was kicked off in Cairo on Sunday , Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said.
The conference is the highest decision-making body on the wide range of issues pertaining to the status and development of Arab co-operation in labour and workforce affairs. It is formed of the representatives of Arab labour ministries, trade unions, employer associations and the regional and international organisations concerned.
In his speech, President Sisi also called for moving forward towards drafting favourable strategies to advance comprehensive Arab development and ensure its pursuance on the ground. Simultaneously, joint Arab action is needed to bolster economic co-operation and the exchange of information and experiences between Arab countries, and to remove the barriers that hinder regional integration between Arab countries, the president said.
“We stand fully convinced that these goals cannot be realised by mere wishing and yearning,” President Sisi said. “We are duty-bound to adopt whichever serious and expedited steps as may be required for the achievement of common developmental goals” he added, making reference in this connection to the need for giving precedence to national Arab interests and forestalling and overcoming any disputes between Arab countries.
During the meeting, the president also called for adopting new mechanisms to bring about comprehensive Arab regional integration by facilitating intra-regional trade, exchanging goods and services, transferring capital and promoting joint investment, as well as facilitating the movement of labour between Arab countries.
In this context, President Sisi expressed appreciation of the energetic efforts mounted by the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO) in supporting member-states in various fields of workforce affairs, especially including the furtherance of societal dialogue, the provision of decent work opportunities and the consolidation of social protection programmes.
He also said that the Arab world is facing several challenges imposed by the present world order, the occurrences and developments of which affect the global work landscape, including in our Arab countries; hence the need for preparing the strategies deemed necessary for promoting Arab comprehensive development.
