Azerbaijan to chair OIC Committee on Labour and Social Protection

Azerbaijan, Baku, April 25 / Trend A. Akhundov / Azerbaijan will chair the Committee on Labour and Social Protection of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the next two years. The statement was made at the opening meeting of the Ministers of Labour and Social Protection of the OIC member states in Baku today. According to OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Azerbaijan is actively involved in development programmes, training and initiatives of international organisations. "The OIC member states have suffered from the consequences of the global crisis," he said. "As a result, the unemployment rate increased and investments reduced. However, worldwide there is no analogue to the measures conducted in these countries for developing the labour market during the crisis." The unemployment rate in the OIC countries which stands at more than nine per cent was higher than the global average indices of an average of six to eight per cent in 2006-2010, the OIC Secretary General said. It was stressed at the conference that the average unemployment rate in the OIC countries is 14 per cent and exceeds 20 per cent among young people. Azerbaijani Minister of Labour and Social Protection Fizuli Alakbarov said the consequences of the global financial and economic crisis affected Azerbaijan and that is why cooperation within the international organisations including the OIC, is very important. "These meetings are very important from the point of view of the experience of other countries in this area and examining the measures of improving the effectiveness of using labour resources, productivity and reducing tension on the labour market," the minister said. Holding the conference in Azerbaijan plays a role of a bridge between Europe and Asia. The Ministers of Labour and Social Security from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Turkey, Kuwait and other countries are attending. The main purpose of the meeting is to create a solid platform for cooperation between the OIC countries, exchange the progressive ideas and innovations, develop the labour market in the OIC countries, increase the labour potential, ensure the workforce is at the level of international standards and reduce the unemployment rate and improve the population's welfare. The participating countries will adopt the Baku framework document which will form the basis for further cooperation between the OIC countries in the field of labour and social protection following the conference on Friday. This document will include an action plan for years to come. The next Ministerial Conference will be held in Jakarta (Indonesia) in 2015. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az