Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

A Philippine delegation led by Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, second right, met with Saudi Human Resources and Social Development Minister Ahmed Al-Rajhi in Riyadh on May 24, 2023. (SPA)

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Updated 26 May 2023

Ellie Aben

May 26, 2023 15:06

Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople says focus will be on tourism sector
Saudi Arabia plans to increase tourism industry employment to 1.6 million people by 2030

Updated 26 May 2023

Ellie Aben

May 26, 2023 15:06

MANILA: The Philippines is discussing with Saudi Arabia a special hiring program for skilled Filipinos, the Department of Migrant Workers said on Friday, as it eyes particularly the booming tourism sector in the Kingdom.

More than 800,000 Philippine expats are already living and working in Saudi Arabia, which is their preferred destination in the Middle East.

Officials see even more employment opportunities in the Kingdom under its Vision 2030 economic diversification plan.

The Philippine government has been in talks with Saudi authorities and earlier this week, Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople met Saudi Human Resources and Social Development Minister Ahmed Al-Rajhi in Riyadh.

“We discussed the possibility of the Philippines and Saudi Arabia having a special hiring program for skilled Filipino workers,” Ople told reporters during Friday’s press briefing.

She said the focus would be on the hospitality sector — an industry that is booming in the Kingdom as the government plans to triple tourism employment to 1.6 million people and triple its contribution to the gross domestic product to 10 percent by 2030.

“They are embarking on expansion plans…They are expecting a huge demand, (especially) for their tourism sector,” Ople said, adding that the Department of Migrant Workers would work closely with the Philippine Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to develop a special hiring program to “meet the demands and requests” of the Saudi government and employers.

The Saudi human resources minister is scheduled to soon visit Manila for broader talks on worker exchanges and amendments to bilateral labor agreements.

“A team from his office will be coming to Manila next month to arrange the details of his visit and other issues like (the) special hiring program,” Ople said.

Saudi Arabia has been trying to improve the professional competence of employees in its labor market and regulate the quality of employment under Vision 2030. In 2021, it launched the Skill Verification Program for foreign employees already working in the Kingdom and those seeking employment but still residing in their home countries.

The program’s practical and written tests verify if workers have the required skills to carry out the jobs they were recruited for. The tests’ outcomes determine whether they can apply for a Saudi work visa.

Bilateral agreements for the implementation of the program are already in place with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which also are major contributors to the Saudi workforce.

Topics: Philippines Saudi Arabia

Russia’s Lavrov faces Western critics at security meeting, walks out after speech

Updated 30 November 2023

November 30, 2023 16:56

Russia’s Lavrov faces Western critics at security meeting, walks out after speech

The Russian foreign minister spoke for 15 minutes before walking out of the meetings
“The very existence of Russians and their decisive contribution to the history of Ukraine are denied,” Lavrov said

Updated 30 November 2023

November 30, 2023 16:56

SKOPJE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov faced Western critics while attending international security talks Thursday in Northern Macedonia, where he blamed “NATO’s reckless expansion to the East” for war returning to Europe.
Lavrov arrived in Skopje to attend meetings hosted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The diplomats of several OSCE member nations, including Ukraine, boycotted the event due to Lavrov’s planned attendance amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Russian foreign minister spoke for 15 minutes before walking out of the meetings. He blamed what he described as Western tolerance of the “ruling neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv” for the war that started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“The very existence of Russians and their decisive contribution to the history of Ukraine are denied,” Lavrov said. “There are plenty of facts. The OSCE and its relevant institutions are silent.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly alleged that Ukraine’s government is made up of “neo-Nazis,” even though the country has a democratically elected Jewish president who lost relatives in the Holocaust.
Putin and other Russian officials have invoked the Holocaust, World War II and Nazism to legitimize the invasion of Ukraine. Historians see their rhetoric as disinformation and a cynical ploy.
Western ministers attending the OSCE meeting were sharply critical of Lavrov after he spoke.
“Russia’s attempts to blame others for its own choices are transparent,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who was speaking when Lavrov walked out.
“We will not compromise on the core principles of the European security order or allow Russia to deny Ukraine the right to make its own independent foreign and security policy choices – principles that Russia itself has agreed to,” he continued.
Based in Vienna, Austria, the OSCE is an intergovernmental organization focused on promoting security, stability, and cooperation among its participating states.
NATO member North Macedonia lifted a ban on Russian flights to enable Lavrov to attend the meeting. Russian state news agency Tass reported that the minister flew a longer route over Turkiye and Greece to reach the summit after Bulgaria blocked his plane from using its airspace.
Greek officials did not immediately return a request for comment.
The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had said they would not attend the talks due to Lavrov’s participation.
The Russian minister arrived in Skopje hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a brief stop in North Macedonia’s capital late Wednesday.

Topics: Russia-Ukraine Conflict Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Skopje OSCE NATO

EU should recognize Palestinian state: Spanish PM

Updated 30 November 2023

AFP

November 30, 2023 12:25

EU should recognize Palestinian state: Spanish PM

When he was sworn in for a new term, Sanchez said his foreign policy priority would be to “work in Europe and in Spain to recognize the Palestinian state”

Updated 30 November 2023

AFP

November 30, 2023 12:25

MADRID: The European Union should recognize a Palestinian state since this would help end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and “stabilize” the region, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.
“It is obvious that we must find a political solution to put an end to this crisis and this solution requires, in my opinion, the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the Socialist premier said during an interview with Spanish public television TVE.
“It is in Europe’s interest to address this issue out of moral conviction because what we are seeing in Gaza is not acceptable,” and also for “a geopolitical objective — to stabilize a region,” he added.
When he was sworn in for a new term this month, Sanchez said his foreign policy priority would be to “work in Europe and in Spain to recognize the Palestinian state.”
If there is no consensus among the EU’s 27 member states, Sanchez has said Madrid does not rule out unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state.
A handful of smaller European countries have taken the step, mainly east European nations like Hungary, Poland and Romania that did so before they joined the EU.
But until now no large member of the bloc has made the move, which would make Spain a pioneer.
Spain’s parliament voted in 2014 in favor of a resolution calling for recognition of Palestine as a state.
The vote was non-binding, however, and there has been no follow up.
“The situation has changed,” Sanchez told TVE, adding that Arab nations did not understand the EU’s position.
“During all these years, we have seen how Israel systematically occupied Palestinian territory,” he added in a reference to Israeli settlement- building.
According to Amnesty International: “Israel’s policy of settling its civilians in occupied Palestinian territory and displacing the local population contravenes fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.”
Palestinians say the settlements jeopardize their goal of a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel last week summoned Spain’s ambassador over criticisms Sanchez made of the Israeli offensive on Gaza during a visit to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Friday.
Israel accused Madrid of supporting “terrorism.”
“Friendly nations must tell the truth,” Sanchez said before recalling he had unequivocally condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
“But we must tell Israel with the same conviction” that it must respect international law, he added.

Topics: War on Gaza

India to launch green credit initiative with UAE at COP28

Updated 30 November 2023

Sanjay Kumar

November 30, 2023 15:10

India to launch green credit initiative with UAE at COP28

PM Modi to participate in World Climate Action Summit and three side events
Green credit initiative is based on a program of India’s Ministry of Environment

Updated 30 November 2023

Sanjay Kumar

November 30, 2023 15:10

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra will launch the Green Credit Initiative with the UAE during the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, the Indian government said, as the summit began on Thursday.

World political and business leaders from nearly 200 countries are arriving in Dubai this week for the UN’s annual meeting, which aims to address some of the most pressing issues related to global warming and climate crisis.

Modi will deliver a speech at the opening session of the World Climate Action Summit and will participate in three high-level side events, two of which are being co-hosted by India.

“The first high-level event which is being co-hosted by India and the UAE is the launch of the green credit initiative ... The second side event, co-hosted by India and Sweden, is the launch of Lead IT 2.0,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters in Delhi.

The green credit initiative is based on the Green Credit Program, which was notified by the Indian Ministry of Environment in October. It is a market-based mechanism to incentivize voluntary environmental actions by various stakeholders such as individuals, communities, private-sector industries, and companies.

The LeadIT 2.0. is “essentially a leadership group for energy transition,” Kwatra said.

“This was a joint initiative launched by India and Sweden in 2019 at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York ... This initiative fosters collaboration among the decision-makers, bringing together both the public sector and the private sector with the objective of accelerating the industry transition to net zero emissions.”

The Indian prime minister is also scheduled to participate in another high-level event, “Transforming Climate Finance,” which will be hosted by the COP28 presidency, the UAE.

During the two-day visit, Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with many of his counterparts on the sidelines of the summit, as India — the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and a country experiencing the brunt of global warming — seeks to play a leadership role in shaping the international agenda on climate change.

“India’s approach to climate action is deeply rooted in our civilization ethos and is reflected foremost in our contributions and our ambitious and effective national policies, especially those which are aimed at economic development, energy, health and nutrition,” Kwarta said.

“We have also been pioneering and in the forefront, and taking global initiatives in fighting climate change and its impacts.”

Topics: COP28 India

Asian publishers join campaign to counter Western narrative on Palestine

Updated 30 November 2023

Sheany Yasuko Lai

November 30, 2023 14:47

Asian publishers join campaign to counter Western narrative on Palestine

#ReadPalestine campaign makes available works by Palestinian authors
Publishers say literary community ‘cannot remain neutral’ over plight of the Palestinians

Updated 30 November 2023

Sheany Yasuko Lai

November 30, 2023 14:47

JAKARTA: Asian publishers want to counter the Western media narrative as they take part in a global initiative launched this week to encourage people to read Palestinian authors and history.

#ReadPalestine started on Wednesday and runs through to Dec. 5.

It was created by Publishers for Palestine, a global solidarity collective comprising more than 350 publishers who have called for an end to all violence against Palestinian people and for Tel Aviv and its allies to be held accountable for war crimes in the wake of the deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza that started last month.

The collective, which includes more than 70 Asian publishers, has made available for free download more than 30 works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction.

“The initiative aims to be an amplifier for the Palestinian cause within the literary community, particularly in the West,” Iskandar Kamel of Malaysia’s Kawah Buku told Arab News.

“The way they have muted themselves and chosen to align with genociders, adopting an apolitical stance and neutrality in the face of atrocities, is entirely unacceptable. This is especially noteworthy considering that, all the while, they have preached about human rights and liberal principles to the Global South.”

Kamel cited as an example the biggest annual book fair in Frankfurt, which last month called off an awards ceremony to celebrate Palestinian writer Adania Shibli.

“Publishers, bookstores, authors and the entire literary community cannot remain neutral; choosing to be apolitical is not an option. It is our responsibility to play our part,” he said.

Ronny Agustinus, chief editor of the Indonesian publishing company Marjin Kiri, is a member of the International Alliance of Independent Publishers, which wrote a letter condemning the cancelation of the Frankfurt event.

“Because there are so many misunderstandings about Palestine from various parties, it becomes important to share studies and reading materials as thoroughly and as much as possible about Palestine so that we can get the whole picture,” he said.

“Literature can paint the reality of Palestinian lives poignantly and evocatively.”

The #ReadPalestine free ebook list includes “Wild Thorns,” a novel by Sahar Khalifeh about life in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear” by Mosab Abu Toha, a Palestinian poet whose abduction by Israeli forces made global headlines earlier this month. He was later released following an international outcry.

“Writers and publishers bear histories and narratives; and with them, truth. Western media is so powerful and it has skewed the thinking of many people, including writers. We can fight against that through our books and writings,” said Faye Cura of Philippines-based Gantala Press.

When it comes to Palestinian literature, women writers are Cura’s favorite.

“Many people have biased views against Muslim women, thinking they are ‘conservative,’ ‘passive,’ ‘silent,’ etc. The women writers definitely resist all that and paint a stronger, more powerful image of the Palestinian woman,” she said.

She hopes that #ReadPalestine will forge strong relations among writers, translators, artists and publishers across the world so that the “conversation and resistance continue until liberation.”

Malaysian publisher The Patriots said speaking about the Palestinian plight was also a responsibility of the literary community.

“We are collectively disappointed with this ongoing cancel culture against the Palestinian literature. It is against free speech to do so,” The Patriots said in a statement to Arab News.

“We hope this initiative could at the very least break this hostile attempt. The Palestinians could not, should not and must not be stifled.”

Topics: War on Gaza London

Explainer: How will countries measure climate action at COP28?

Updated 30 November 2023

Reuters

November 30, 2023 12:54

Explainer: How will countries measure climate action at COP28?

In September, the United Nations offered an early stocktake assessment that revealed countries were far behind in meeting climate goals
It said action required “on all fronts” to keep global average temperature rise limited to 1.5 C beyond which irreversible climate impacts will occur

Updated 30 November 2023

Reuters

November 30, 2023 12:54

DUBAI: Countries will for the first time assess how far off track they are to curb global warming at this year’s COP28 climate change summit, a process known as the “global stocktake.”

Governments will look at progress so far as well as what action is still needed to get the world on track. The aim is to yield a plan by the end of the two-week UN conference in Dubai.

The assessment could become politically divisive as it sets the stage for the next few years of global action in cutting planet-warming emissions.

WHY IS A GLOBAL STOCKTAKE IMPORTANT?

Each country sets its own targets and policies for meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s overall goal of holding global warming to within 2 degrees Celsius of preindustrial times, and aiming for just 1.5 C of warming.

Under the 2015 pact, countries must gauge their progress as of this year, and then every five years afterwards. Based on the results, countries may be pressed to set more ambitious climate policies or to contribute more financing to help developing countries adopt clean energy.

This year’s stocktake could also offer important guidance as countries prepare to update their emissions-cutting targets again by 2025. For example, the stocktake could advise that CO2-cutting targets should cover a country’s entire economy, not just certain sectors.

IS THE WORLD OFF COURSE IN MEETING CLIMATE GOALS?

In September, the United Nations offered an early stocktake assessment that revealed countries were far behind in meeting climate goals. It said action was required “on all fronts” to keep the global average temperature rise limited to 1.5 C — the threshold beyond which scientists say more severe and irreversible climate impacts will occur.

Despite a huge increase in the number of countries setting CO2-cutting targets since the Paris Agreement, current emissions plans still put the world on track to warm by at least 2.5 C, the UN estimates.

Many countries also have yet to set strong enough short-term policies to steer their economies toward emissions targets for 2030 and 2050.

The global average temperature has already warmed by 1.2 C since pre-industrial times, which is causing widespread drought along with more frequent deadly heat waves, wildfires and storms around the world.

HOW WILL THE STOCKTAKE DRIVE CLIMATE ACTION?

Before the stocktake has even started, countries are squabbling over the scope of future plans — including whether they should commit to phase out fossil fuel use, end investments in new coal power plants or triple renewable energy capacity within this decade.

COP28 delegates will also need to decide if the stocktake should recommended action for specific sectors, such as the energy or manufacturing sectors.

The UN’s report in September urged countries to cut CO2-emitting coal power by 67 percent to 82 percent from 2019 levels by 2030.

The report also called for more finance to help poorer countries adopt clean energy, and noted that billions of dollars were still being invested in fossil fuels every year.

The European Union wants the stocktake to produce “concrete policy signals” for countries to follow.

Some developing countries have suggested the stocktake should focus on pressuring wealthy nations to do more, since they have contributed the most emissions to the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, diplomats said.

“This is where we take stock and see where we are — where are the gaps between the targets and our ambitions, and the actual action. What then needs to be decided... what do we then do from here,” Dan Jorgensen, Denmark’s Global Climate Policy Minister, told Reuters.

Topics: COP28

Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

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Russia’s Lavrov faces Western critics at security meeting, walks out after speech

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EU should recognize Palestinian state: Spanish PM

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India to launch green credit initiative with UAE at COP28

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Asian publishers join campaign to counter Western narrative on Palestine

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Explainer: How will countries measure climate action at COP28?

Explainer: How will countries measure climate action at COP28?

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Philippines looks for special program to hire skilled workers in Saudi Arabia

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