Forum seeks to draw up GCC voluntary work plan: Official

A Gulf forum opened in Kuwait yesterday will seek to develop a joint executive plan for voluntary work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, said Undersecretary of Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Matar Al-Mutairi. He made the statement to the opening session of the second forum for regulating and prompting voluntary work in the GCC.

The two-day event aims to identify the nature of the mechanisms of partnership, and the fields of coordination among the government, private bodies, the relevant international organizations, institutions and the civil society, he noted. The forum, organized in cooperation with the GCC Secretariat, comes in response to a resolution by the GCC leaders in the 2015 Riyadh Summit, endorsing the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud’s vision for promoting the GCC joint action. Senior officials and specialists from the GCC countries are taking part in the forum that will also discuss the various aspects of a proposed voluntary work plan for the bloc.

The second day of the forum will review several Arab and foreign work sheets on successful stories of voluntary work. Other issues on the agenda of the forum include relevant legislations, social awareness, training, qualification, data, scientific research, and financial and technical support. Mutairi emphasized the significance of the forum for supporting all forms of voluntary work in the GCC, hoping it would come out with recommendations and programs that will contribute to bolstering pan-GCC cooperation in the field.

Meanwhile, head of the Human and Environmental Affairs Sector at the GCC Secretariat Dr Adel Al-Zayani voiced pleasure the forum is held in Kuwait. He lauded His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah’s efforts which developed Kuwait into a ‘Humanitarian Center’ Zayani stressed Kuwait’s role for backing youth and voluntary work. — KUNA