KABUL (SW) – The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has inked eight Memorandums of Understanding with a number of ministries to create job opportunities for 1.5 million people as the National Labor conference concludes.
These memorandums were signed with the Ministries of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Energy and Water, Repatriation and Refugees Affairs, Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Commerce and Industry, Higher Education and Transportation and Civil Aviation for the next five years.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the economic deputy prime minister of the Islamic Emirate, said that the sanctions imposed on Afghanistan’s banking system have caused economic problems and increased unemployment in the country. He asked the international community to lift the imposed sanctions in order to improve the economic situation of Afghan citizens.
“The Islamic Emirate is ready to interact with all countries according to national and Islamic values and has fulfilled its responsibilities in this area. We call on the world to understand the problems of the people of Afghanistan, remove the bank sanctions and enter into a positive interaction with the Islamic Emirate,” Baradar stated.
He added that the ‘government’ has been able to reduce the negative effects of unemployment and create job opportunities in the past three years by taking effective policies and implementing infrastructure projects.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, Acting Minister of Interior Affairs, said that poverty alleviation and the fight against unemployment in Afghanistan require more time and comprehensive cooperation. According to Haqqani: “If we look at history, unemployment will not be solved soon and it will take time. We must have patience and diligence. We are ahead of many countries in many respects. Working opportunities with the each passing day are being created, and by investing in mines, people will find more jobs.”
At the end of this two-day conference, eight working groups including public and private departments presented their plans to fight unemployment and create job opportunities, and these plans were supposed to be shared with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
Lal Mohammad Walizada, the head of one of the working groups, said that by attracting internal and external investments and the development of small economic activities, more jobs can be created. “The first priority is the legal and political framework. The second is to provide financial and human resources. Thirdly, the creation and development of professional institutes with international standards, fourthly, attracting investments and developing economic activities.”
The National Labor Conference started on Tuesday and concluded on Wednesday with the aim of fighting unemployment and presenting solutions to create job opportunities.
