Baku: The OIC Member States and other relevant organizations were urged to support the Palestinian Ministry of Labor’s efforts to protect the Palestinian job market from the grave consequences of the Gaza War, as part of the 5th Islamic Conference of Labour Ministers (ICLM), which was held here. Over 60% of job opportunities have been lost as a result of the Israeli occupation’s criminal aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the two-day conference. Over the course of the last 48 days, Israel has completely destroyed Gaza with bombs and attacks. The conference, which took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 21 to 23, concluded with the theme, “Innovative Solutions and Digitalization of Labour and Employment Services in the OIC Member States.”
Ministers and heads of delegation who attended the conference discussed their respective countries’ experiences with digitizing social services and employment. The ministers emphasized the necessity of creating cooperative policies that support innovation, entrepreneurship, and the expansion of small and medium-sized businesses in their conference report, which was approved at the conclusion of the meeting. During the closed session, labour ministers from OIC discussed the state of the labour market in their respective countries and put forth a set of policy recommendations aimed at improving intra-OIC cooperation in the areas of labour, employment, and social protection.
Speaking at the conference, Hissein Brahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said Islamic nations are facing a high level of unemployment as their population is increasing at a high rate of growth. Unemployment remains one of the most serious challenges to development in OIC Member States, he stated.
Drawing attention to projections, he stated that the population of all OIC member states is predicted to increase from the current 2 billion to 2.9 billion by 2050, a nearly 1 billion increase in the next 30 years. As a result, the Secretary-General emphasized the pressing necessity for OIC Member States to allocate funds for suitable education and establish institutions and policies that will guarantee them steady employment.
Taha also emphasized the important role that the ICLM Conference plays in supporting OIC Labour Center policy. The implementation of several OIC resolutions pertaining to labour, employment, and social protection is the responsibility of this recently established OIC-specialized institution.
The session also approved the interim organizational structure and the budget for the Secretariat of the Center for the period of 2023–2026. Azerbaijan contributed USD 1 million as a voluntary donation to the budget of the new center.
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