JEDDAH, 22 February 2005 — The 6th Jeddah Economic Forum ended here yesterday with a clarion call for developing human resources.
Almost all speakers who addressed the three-day forum observed that Saudization was achievable through a sustained program of education, training, and imparting and raising skills.
Overseas speakers gave examples of countries that had benefited through such programs and offered examples and role models whom the Kingdom could emulate in pursuing its development of human resources. Most speakers also mentioned women as an integral part of their countries’ work force.
Singapore’s Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong gave one of the best examples. “Underpinning Singapore’s economic transformation and growth are our considerable investments in education, which is the best way to enhance human capacity,” he said in his address on “A precious renewable resource.”
Studies have shown that countries that have achieved the fastest growth rate are those whose citizens have been properly educated and have applied the knowledge they acquired to the production of goods and services, Goh said.
Saudi Arabia has almost half of its population under 15 years of age. “This is a huge asset if heavy investments are made in their education and training of skills. You have the resources to do this, unlike Singapore which had to first create the resources to invest in its people.”
Algerian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Al-Tayeb Laouh said the upcoming Arab League summit in his country would help further the realization of hopes and aspirations of Arabs. Algeria has been able to turn the corner by mobilizing its human and economic resources.
“We mobilized our human and economic resources and together with our effort to control the inflation rate, we were able to make our economy competitive and achieve stability,” Laouh said.
He said he was optimistic about Arabs coming together and jointly contributing toward the betterment of their economies. “My optimism comes from the way the entire international community rallied to help and assist the victims of Asia’s recent tsunami devastation.”
A Saudi-born American Democrat was forthright in making women work hard toward achieving their rights. “I’m an American and a Democrat and proud to be one,” said Ferial Al-Masry, a candidate for the 37th district of the California Assembly. “A lot of us feel disenfranchised and hopeless. I promise you that I’m going to fight hard and we’ll give my opponent a fight she will never forget,” she said.
“Second, I’m also an Arab and Muslim and proud of my heritage and will fight against the Patriot Act because our community is targeted unfairly. I believe that if any community loses its civil rights, we all lose. Third, I’m a Saudi-born woman and I want to win this race for so many women in Saudi Arabia to tell them that they have what it takes to achieve anything they want. And I also believe that if we want to support democracy in the Middle East, it’s by empowering the people through understanding and support and not by force,” she said participating in a discussion on “Individual freedom or civic responsibility: Is true democracy achievable?”
George Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management, LLC and founder of the US-based Open Society Institute, said that an Arab Cultural Foundation is being established to forge oneness in various fields of social and cultural activities.
The foundation, to be based in the region, will have a corpus fund of $15 million to be raised in the first three years of its formation. The fund will serve composite interests, ranging from art and culture to poetry, theater and museum, said Soros who vehemently opposed the war on terror since it was launched in the wake of 9/11.
“I’ve gone on record to have opposed this war, especially the manner in which it has been launched and is going on,” said Soros, a native of Hungary, speaking on “An alternative vision for America’s role in the world.”
Alternatively, the war on terror could have been fought by taking the people into confidence and eliciting their support. “The ongoing war on terror has not had the full support of the people and that’s why it is negatively contributing toward the widening deficit of the United States,” he said.
To deal with the problem of Saudization in a most effective way, Gerard Pelisson, founding co-chairman of Accor, France, detailed the steps his leading company in the hospitality sector is initiating. “To contribute effectively to the success of Saudization, Accor has initiated and finalized a study to design and set up two hotel schools, one in Jeddah and the other in Riyadh,” he said.
The team that has worked on this study has shown a high degree of professionalism in its efforts to drive this ambitious project, which will meet all the expectations of young Saudis in finding jobs in the tourism industry, he said, speaking on “A strategic capital stake for sustainable development.”
The project, which is now under way, is now under consideration in cooperation with Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Saudi Supreme Commission on Tourism, and Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, president of the Franco-Saudi Affairs Council.
The day also featured lectures and discussions on whether small and medium size enterprises are ideal for Arab youth, and whether Arab economic cooperation is a myth or the private sector could lead the way.
Relations between Islam and the West were also discussed with Shamil Idriss, senior adviser, World Economic Forum and Search for Common Ground, analyzing initiatives from dialogue to action.
The next JEF will be on Feb. 18-20, 2006, Ghassan Al-Sulaiman, vice chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Jeddah Marketing Board, the JCCI’s events organizing wing, announced at the closing session.
