A Jordanian soldier helps a Syrian refugee family to board an army vehicle in Al Ruqban border area. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters
A Jordanian soldier helps a Syrian refugee family to board an army vehicle in Al Ruqban border area. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

How displaced people can be provided ‘global’ opportunities



Ministers from around the globe are gathering in Brussels for the “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” conference. They will discuss a political solution to the Syrian conflict and follow up on humanitarian pledges made previously. While indeed the focus should be on ending the protracted conflict, those present should also give serious attention to enhancing the economic independence of the many displaced people. In doing so, they should not shun innovative pathways.

This week’s conference is the sequel to a conference held in London in February 2016. At the London conference, promises included more humanitarian aid, increased funding and refugee resettlement options. Refugee-hosting countries in the region – Jordan in particular, but also Turkey – vowed to increase legal employment options for refugees.

This willingness to grant refugees the right to work indicated a courageous shift in policy. For many years, the approach had a “temporary and humanitarian” character. Now, governments are experimenting with “(semi)-permanent and developmental” policy options. The reasons behind this shift are several and include a general acknowledgement that the current approach is financially unsustainable.

Policy changes in Jordan and Turkey illustrate the shift in thinking. Both countries have stepped up efforts to enable the integration of refugees into their respective labour markets. They modified legal frameworks, worked to overcome bureaucratic obstacles and closed information gaps. As a result, development agencies and civil society organisations are increasingly focusing on refugee employment initiatives.

International donors can encourage solutions in the region by supporting these host governments with their laudable efforts to increase refugees’ economic independence. Many international initiatives already do exactly this, including a European Union-Jordan trade deal that links the benefits for companies to refugee quotas in their workforce. At the same time, several international companies have created vacancies for refugees and there is a general increase in “education for employment” programmes aimed at equipping refugees with marketable skills.

Despite all the efforts to overcome legal and other barriers, the major issue remains: a lack of jobs. In effect, there is an urgent need for serious, scalable job creation in the region. Indeed, the biggest refugee-hosting countries also cope with significant domestic unemployment. And while some job creation is taking place within local economies, the pace is too slow and the red tape in some cases too thick to get sufficient large-scale international investments.

Discussions about job creation in the region often stop here. But perhaps, to find an actual solution, we need to broaden our perspective to a new way of thinking about “local” employment. Technology has already transformed the way we work. The global labour market shows a persistent lack of specialised skills. Many of these internationally sought-after jobs can be done remotely – from accounting to social media marketing to software development to Arabic translations.

A refugee in Amman could do translations for a company in London, someone in Beirut could do data entry for a company in Dubai, while someone in Istanbul could do coding for a company in Silicon Valley. Employment can be project-based, through the cloud, with payments through a secure online system. The ability to rate and be rated could build an individual and a company’s credibility and trustworthiness.

Sure, a remote, digitally empowered solution will not be available for all those displaced. But it could help those tech-savvy, ambitious youth whose lives have been on hold for the past six years and who might grow more desperate by the day. Many will point at the fact that even the youth does not have such marketable skills. Here, we could bring in the idea of revolutionary education models such as “boot-camp learning”. That model is proving very successful in graduating highly employable individuals in a very short period.

We believe this imaginary model can be made into a realistic, win-win situation for donors, local governments, companies and the displaced alike. What is needed is the political will to create the right legal framework, a solid business case for international companies and a good number of boot camp training programs for specialist skills on demand. If executed well, companies save money, donors get the desired “solutions in the region” and the displaced (and potentially others) are gainfully employed.

The gathering in Brussels brings together political leaders, international donors, NGOs and businesses. With so many solution-driven minds in the room, it would be an excellent opportunity to advocate for a new narrative in which global opportunities can reach the locally displaced.

Dr Saskia van Genugten is a senior research fellow at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

Lorraine Charles is an associate at Angela M Solomon Communications

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Wednesday's results

Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Score

Third Test, Day 1

New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
​​​​​​​