The newspapers issued today, Sunday, paid attention to the Arab Labor Conference in its fiftieth session and followed the development road project.
Regarding the Arab Labor Conference, Al-Sabah newspaper said that Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, yesterday, Saturday, opened the work of the Arab Labor Conference in its fiftieth session, which is hosted by the capital, Baghdad, for the period from (April 27 – May 4).
The opening ceremony of the conference witnessed the presence of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, the President of the International Labor Organization, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Labor Organization, Arab labor ministers, and a number of diplomatic missions.
The Prime Minister delivered a speech in which he praised those in charge of the conference, its plan of action, and the reports that will be discussed. He explained that 59 years ago, Baghdad was a witness and a home for writing the birth certificate of the Arab Labor Organization. On the t
welfth of 1965, the Ministers of Labor met in Baghdad and held their conference. The first was in which they approved the Arab Labor Charter and the draft constitution of the Arab Labor Organization, to be an umbrella under which ideas related to labor and workers’ affairs come together.
Al-Sudani said, in his speech during the conference, that ‘the government has provided all the reasons to ensure the distinction of this conference, to come up with recommendations, decisions, positive ideas, and support for the organization,’ noting ‘the great support of the Iraqi government for the success of the activities of the Arab Labor Organization and its programs, through the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs when he was its minister.’ He explained that ‘the holding of this conference comes in exceptional and difficult circumstances at the Arab and international levels, as the occupation forces continue their aggression against the people of Gaza, violating international law, the norms of war, and United Nations
resolutions, and preventing food, medicine, and safe housing for the Palestinians,’ calling on the international community and its institutions to ‘do their part.’ in order to stop this unjust war, based on the humanitarian and moral responsibility drawn up by international laws and resolutions.’ He added, ‘I extend my congratulations to the workers of the world on their Day, on the first of May, wishing them and their union and labor organizations further progress and prosperity,’ pointing out that ‘the world is witnessing crises whose impact has been reflected in the global economy and the social, psychological, and economic situation of the peoples of the Arab Organization, and has had a negative impact on labor productivity.
He continued, “Our current government has launched many strategies and initiatives that would improve the reality of work and workers, and we launched (the national strategy to reduce and prevent inequalities in the world of work for the years 2024-2028), in cooperation with the Inte
rnational Labor Organization, and we launched employment and development initiatives for multiple categories, at the forefront of which is the ‘Riyada’ initiative, to qualify young people.
Al-Zawraa newspaper, which is published by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, followed the Development Road Project and quoted the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Transport Affairs, Nasser Al-Asadi, as saying that the project will shorten the time for transporting goods in Europe by a record time of up to 24 hours, while he announced the submission of three alliances of international companies for the Baghdad Metro project and a Spanish alliance for Najaf-Karbala Metro.
Al-Assadi added: ‘The development road project is not intended for transportation only, but transportation is part of the project, and Al-Faw Port is part of the project.’ Stating: The basic idea of the project is to create sustainable industrial, agricultural, educational, and tourism investment opportunities, meaning that the merchant now in China, India, Vie
tnam, or any country wishing to export his goods to Europe will follow any of the routes available in the world.
He added: The development road will be distinguished from other roads in terms of reducing time by 50 %, as well as being cheaper and lower in cost, and the third point is safe. Pointing out: We notice a lot of shipping operations, followed by loading and unloading operations. Each operation leads to damage to the goods, but the development road will lead to only one loading from sea to land.
He continued: For example, if a ship came loaded with goods from China or India and unloaded its cargo in one of the Iraqi ports, the process of transporting the goods from the ports to Europe would take a record period of 24 hours, after it had previously arrived within 14 days.
Regarding the Baghdad Metro project, Al-Asadi explained: There are 3 alliances of companies that submitted their offers for the Baghdad Metro project, each alliance consisting of 6 companies. Noting: The alliances consist of China,
Spain, Switzerland, and Germany, and part of these alliances have companies in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
He stated: These alliances will have their papers submitted to the consultant, and we have two financial and technical offers. He stressed that the technician takes approximately 60 % of the evaluation in terms of studying experience, knowledge of previous projects, and knowledge of specialists in the fields involved in the project, such as trains, communications, infrastructure, construction, operation, etc. All of these will be reviewed by the consultant.
He pointed out: After May 12, there will be large teams within the consultant that will study all these companies applying for alliances.
Regarding the Najaf-Karbala metro project, Al-Asadi confirmed: There is an investment alliance that has applied for the project, and the offer will be studied and the start of implementing the project will be announced to bring them into the labor market.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency