RIYADH, 24 May 2004 — The Human Resources Development Forum inaugurated by Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi yesterday aims to enhance the public-private sector partnerships to develop human resources in the Kingdom.

The forum provides an opportunity for international experts, government officials, private sector decision-makers and human resources development professionals to share their knowledge.

The Kingdom had made human resources development its No. 1 priority with over SR267 billion allocated over the last 35 years. The HRDF supports and finances the private sector efforts in training and employment and creates incentives that increase job creation for the Saudi youth. The forum will highlight human resource development as a national objective and joint responsibility of the public and private sectors. It will also provide information on the HRD fund and its activities in regard to training and employment of Saudi nationals.

Today’s maiden session of the forum chaired by the general director of the Institute of Public Administration, Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdullah Alshakawi, will focus on a study which reviews Kingdom’s training, challenges and proposed solutions in the field of human resources development.

Dignitaries such as the Governor of General Organization For Technical, Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT) Dr. Ali Al-Ghafis, member of the Shoura Council Dr. Zuhair Ahmed Al-Subaie and member of the Teaching Committee at the King Saud University (KSU) Dr. Saleem Saeed Al Qahtani will participate in the discussions.

During the second session which will be held under the chairmanship of the vice governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), three international experts will present their findings on training, knowledge development and global experiences in the field of human resources and development. The women’s coordinator for this session will be Princess Dr. Mashail Mohamad Al-Saud. The three speakers include the senior program adviser of the Regional Bureau for Arab States in the UN Development Program, Dr. Maen Nsour, the managing director of Middlesex University Business School in London, Professor Michael Hopkins, and the head of the Human Resource Division in Ireland, Liam O’Donohoe.

The evening session will concentrate on “Unemployment in the Kingdom”, where the Deputy Minister of Planning and Development in the Ministry of Labor, Dr. Abdul Wahid Khaled Al-Humeid, will participate in the deliberations.

Tomorrow’s session will discuss the Kingdom’s employment, its challenges and proposed solutions where the Deputy Minister for Labor Affairs, Ahmed Al-Zamil, will participate in the discussions. Dr. Tarek Yousef, who authored World Bank’s 2004 study on “Arab World Employment,” will talk on the employment potential in the Arab world and its future challenges while Peter Kowar from the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce will make a presentation on “The Interface between Education and the Labor Market in Saudi Arabia.”

At the penultimate session, the delegates will be given an opportunity to share international experience on human resource development. The session will be co-chaired by Shoura Council member Osama Al-Kurdi and Ghada Al-Toubaishi.

The closing session will be held in the evening where the delegates will move a set of recommendations.