World leaders committed to 8th goal of SDG

Kuwait places priority on investment in human resources

At the UN meeting in September 2015, world leaders announced commitment to the Eighth Goal of the 17th Sustainable Development Goals of “promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.” The number of unemployed people in the world is relatively high, with 202 million registered in 2012, including 75 million young men and women, the UN Information Center in Beirut said.

It pointed out that the lack of decent work opportunities, inadequate investment and low consumption lead to “the erosion of the basic social contract on which democratic societies are based, the need for the participation of all in progress.” It noted that the slow and uneven progress of economic development around the world prompted governments and bodies working in this center to rethink their policies to achieve high levels of productivity through the use of new tools in this area.

The goal is to maintain individual economic growth according to national conditions, as well as to achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, upgrading technology and innovation, the UN Center said. It referred to the steps to be taken in that regard, such as the promotion of development-oriented policies that supported productive activities, provided decent work opportunities, stimulated entrepreneurship, promoted creativity and innovation and encouraged the formalization of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Nearly half of the world’s population lives on the equivalent of just USD two a day, the statement said, referring to international reports stating the need for 470 million jobs globally for newcomers to the labor market between the years 2016-2030. It said about 900 million workers - one out of every three workers live below the poverty line, considering that good job creation was a major challenge for all economies.

ILO Global Charter

The United Nations stressed the importance of working to reduce the proportion of young people not enrolled in schools and universities to launch properly “towards achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men by 2030.”“It is important that governments work together to activate and implement the ILO’s Global Charter for Employment by 2020, which includes how to address the economic crisis by ensuring decent work and adopting principles to promote recovery and development and to build other social protection systems.

Kuwait launched last year the “Kuwait Day for Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace” within the framework of the national cooperation between the General Secretariat for Planning and Development and the United Nations Development Program, which aims to support the General Authority for Labor Force by providing expertise in the field of labor market research, besides the importance of implementing occupational health and safety standards and adherence to international conventions and labor standards.

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development in Kuwait Khaled Mahdi said in a previous statement that “the total workforce in Kuwait in 2014 amounted to 2.42 million people, or 60 percent of the total population,” pointing out that the increase in the number of entrants to the labor market reflects the young nature of Kuwaiti society. Kuwait places priority on investment in human resources and its preservation. It is keen to provide a healthy environment and protect workers from the hazards of industries and occupational diseases that accompany work.