RIYADH, 7 December 2005 — A supreme committee is to be set up for laying down guidelines that will chart the future course of action for creating job opportunities for women and enlarging their participation in the Kingdom’s economic development programs.
This was one of the major recommendations of the Second Riyadh Economic Forum that concluded yesterday. Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Hashem Yamani chaired the concluding session, at which Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, president of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Dr. Abdul Aziz Jazzar, chairman of the organizing committee, were also present.
Earlier, Dr. Yamani paid tributes to the organizers of the forum and said its recommendations would go a long way in promoting stronger partnership between the public and private sectors. More importantly, it would help map out a long-term strategy for the Kingdom’s economic development program. The resolutions would now go to the Supreme Economic Council headed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
Under the recommendations, which were read out by Dr. Jazzar, the supreme committee for women will consist of specialists from different fields tasked with the responsibility of identifying job opportunities for women in various sectors. There will also be avenues for women wishing to work part-time. The decisions of the supreme committee will be conveyed to the royal court via a special link.
It called upon government organizations to set up special cells for providing employment opportunities for women on a full-time or part-time basis. On-the-job training should also be provided to them in line with the market needs.
Elaborating on this subject, Al-Jeraisy explained at a press conference after the concluding session that special industrial estates would be set up to create more jobs for Saudi women who comprise 30 percent of the work force. However, women’s representatives put the figure at seven percent.
The Forum called for greater coordination between the private and the public sector in the joint task of national development. This would be achieved through improving communications between the two sides utilizing all available means, including the mass media and the Internet.
The private sector would be kept informed of government regulations, legal or legislative measures that have implications for the business community. There will be transparency in government operations in terms of providing data to the private sector.
By another resolution, it was agreed that the private sector would be closely involved in the formulation and implementation of plans concerning the national economy. To this end, 50 percent of the members of any committee or organization in the public sector would be drawn from the private sector for consultation purpose.
The forum resolved that while human resources development was an important component of the government’s policy, it should not be at the expense of expatriates whose services were needed either due to their professional skills or because Saudis were not available or willing to fill in the slots. In this context, it recommended the launch of an awareness campaign to educate Saudis on low-skill jobs that could be filled by them. But for now, they are manned by expatriates.
The forum recommended that the expertise of qualified and experienced expatriates from different fields of specialization should be utilized for providing on-the-job training facilities to Saudis in order to give a boost to the Saudization program. In this context, it referred to the employment of expatriates as accountants and steps should be taken to replace them with Saudis. The profession of accountant has been reserved for Saudis along with more than 30 other job categories.
On the subject of privatization, the Forum recommended that any future program should involve the participation of the private sector, which could play a role in an advisory capacity. The government should also seek the opinion of the private sector in the formulation of national policies or determining priorities.
The subject of transparency and accountability was the theme of another recommendation, which stressed the need for a mechanism in this regard. Businessmen should have the right to information along with the date of publication. The mass media should also be utilized in disseminating information.
By another recommendation, the Forum resolved that as part of the national agenda to prepare the private sector for the challenges stemming from the WTO membership, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry should cooperate with the chambers of commerce and industry in the Kingdom by conducting surveys to identify the needs of the private sector. A media campaign should also be undertaken to keep the business community abreast of the implications of joining the WTO.
To this end, it recommended the setting up of a specialized center for businessmen, who could be briefed on the requirements they have to fulfill in order to comply with WTO standards.
One of the resolutions of the Forum stressed the need for setting up IT parks and industrial estates in the Kingdom for providing investment opportunities in the telecommunication, advanced petrochemicals, oil and gas, biotechnology and environmental sectors. Special attention should also be paid to the cultivation of high quality dates.
The forum also called for giving incentives for the establishment of strategic industries which could be funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) along with others. Such high-technology industries would provide a value-added element to the national industry.
