Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — The Kingdom has signed the Statute of the Labor Center of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OICLC). The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah on Monday.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Labor and Social Development Ahmed Bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi in the presence of OIC Secretary-General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen and Azerbaijan›s Ambassador to the Kingdom and the country›s Permanent Representative to OIC Shahin Abdulayev. Azerbaijan hosts the headquarters of the OIC Labor Center.

The center aims at strengthening and empowering social development efforts of the OIC member states and coordination among the relevant organizations in member states, as well as the other OIC institutions active in the areas related to labor, employment, social protection and development of human capital.

The OICLC gives a strong impetus to the collective efforts of the OIC member states to prepare the labor force of the OIC countries to meet the challenges of globalization and trade liberalization. The activation of the center will also promote mutually beneficial cooperation among Islamic countries in the areas of labor, employment, and social protection.

The center also seeks to exchange experiences and expertise among member states in order to enhance the implementation of the OIC Framework on Labor, Employment and Social Protection and the resolutions and declarations of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers. — SG/SPA