The Diplomat
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) is working on a new Regional Programme for the Arab World “which includes the creation of employment and opportunities as one of its three basic areas of intervention, along with ecological transition, environment and water, and gender equality,” according to Carmen Magariños, Director of Cooperation with Africa and Asia, during the International Seminar ‘Decent work and economic growth in the Middle East: challenges and opportunities’, organised by the Fundación Promoción Social at Casa Árabe.
The meeting was attended by representatives of international organisations and experts from various Middle Eastern countries, who analysed the state of human rights and the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8) in specific cases such as Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. Participants paid particular attention to the transformative power of international development cooperation in this region.
Discussions focused on the situation of vulnerable populations – women, youth, refugees, disabled and rural people – in relation to decent work and economic development in these countries.
Fundación Promoción Social is a private, non-profit organisation with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, with a presence in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Its aim is to improve the living conditions of people facing high vulnerability through projects focused on humanitarian aid, development education and awareness-raising, volunteering and social action, as well as cultural and educational cooperation.
