The L20 Saudi Arabia 2020 labor summit concluded its sessions yesterday in Riyadh in the virtual presence of international, regional, and local participants. The second day of the summit featured three sessions that focused on the G20 programs on empowering women and youth; labor standards and trade union rights in the Arab world; and the importance of social protection and labor market policies that allow employees to return to work with resilience to the current pandemic and other economic downturns. The two-day event, which was held as part of the Kingdom's presidency of this year's G20 Summit, attracted the participation of prominent international speakers including Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labor Organization; Barry Havard, Secretary-General of the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);. Stefano Scarpetta, Director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD; and Sharan Burrow, Secretary-General of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). Participants highlighted the importance of giving priority to employment with regard to macroeconomic policies, coordination between recruitment formalities and other policies, ensuring adequate social protection systems, and preserving jobs and income. During the session, the speakers emphasized the need to achieve stability in labor relations and uphold basic principles and rights in the work environment, while at the same time applying the precautionary and preventive measures introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The summit confirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to building on the achievements of previous G20 presidencies by ensuring tangible progress in youth and female empowerment within the labor market on a larger scale. It also aimed to tackle the challenges facing women through various programs, including a number of tailored initiatives for the less privileged, together with the development of measures to support initiatives such as the 'Empowerment and Progression of Women's Economic Representation' (EMPOWER). The L20 Saudi Arabia 2020 labor summit created opportunities to comprehensively address workers' issues and the stability of the global labor market, with the goal of making recommendations to help the G20 Group reach solutions that meet the demands and aspirations of workers across the globe. Held in Riyadh, the event complemented the achievements of previous summits by urging international labor organizations and unions to develop policies and set priorities based on the data presented to the leaders of the G20.
