CAIRO, Sept 18 (KUNA) -- The visiting Director-General of Kuwait's Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), Jamal Al-Dosari, has affirmed that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah devotes special attention to joint Arab action for tackling labor problems.
Kuwait plays a major role, under guidance of His Highness the Amir, in bolstering common Arab action, resolving issues concerning work and unemployment, said Al-Dosari in remarks to KUNA on sidelines of the 41st Arab labor conference that got underway on Sunday. He added that Kuwait had adopted schemes designed to tackle such affairs.
Unemployment in the Arab world can be tackled through supporting development schemes, he said, affirming that conferees would face a pile of files regarding mounting social, political and economic problems, currently pre-occupying decision makers in the Arab countries.
Kuwait is taking part in the conference with a delegation headed by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Planning Affairs, Hind Al-Sabeeh.
Elaborating, Al-Dosari said the participating GCC officials, at a meeting that preceded the conference, agreed that Kuwait would support candidacy of Saudi Arabia and the UAE for permanent membership in the Arab Labor Organization's Board, affirming that the conferees responded positively to the Kuwaiti move and endorsed Riyadh and Abu Dhabi as members of the council. Kuwait also backed Qatar in its quest to be an observer at the ALO board.
Moreover, the conferees agreed that ALO's Director General Ahmed Luqman would continue his mandate till April, and that after this date, elections would be held to choose a successor.
Al-Dosari added that seven nominees had presented nomination papers to succeed Luqman in the voting, due in 2015.
Among the candidates for the ALO top post is Fayez Al-Mutairi, the head of the Kuwaiti Labor Union, he said, affirming that the latter enjoys substantial support from the GCC countries and Yemen.
Speaking shortly later, the Kuwaiti candidate for the ILO chairmanship, Fayez Al-Mutairi, said he had filed his nomination papers not for sake of competition, but to "present ideas that will secure continuation of the organization, which plays an important and leading role." Al-Mutairi confirmed that the conferees opted to delay the elections' date till end of Luqman's mandate in April. He underscored the noticeable and positive role of the Minster, Al-Sabeeh, and expressed congratulations to His Highness the Amir for his UN acclamation as a "Humanitarian Leader." He stated, "Such honoring came in acclamation of the State of Kuwait's leading role over the past years and wisdom of His Highness the Amir namely extending a helping hand to the needy.
"Aiding states that experience crises has been a distinguished feature of Kuwait's history." (end) ms.mab.rk