“culture of giving” and underlined its contribution to
humanitarian causes, efforts in developing the youth and
special focus on empowering women.
In an interview with Arab News, Ashok Nigam, UN resident
coordinator and UNDP resident representative in Saudi
Arabia, said that over the years, the Kingdom has been
promoting increasing women’s participation in economic
activities.
“This is apparent in the Shoura Council, which has 30
percent women members, one of the highest in the Arab
world,” he said.
Nigam made his point before leaving for New York to attend
the launch of the “Digital Good” Platform at the Sustainable
Development Summit in New York on Sept. 25, following the
adoption of the sustainable development goals (SDG) by the
UNDP with generous support from the Saudi government.
The launch will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the
United Nations. According to him, the “Digital Good”
platform will enable ordinary people from around the world
to contribute funds for the implementation of the new post
2015 sustainable development goals.
“This initiative is evidence of how dialogue among the youth
of different nations, religions and cultures can bring about
positive change for global development.” “Digital Good” is
providing opportunities for people to help people around the
world, the UN official said.
On Saudi women, he said their participation would help in
bringing about a sweeping change. “We have been working
with the government to provide support. Saudi participation
in postgraduate education is very high,” he said.
They are able to harness their knowledge and expertise in
all walks of life. “As many as 60 percent of the staff at the
UNDP here are women,” he said, adding: “We have equal
employment policy. Everyone competes and we promote
women to a great extent.”
On human development issues, he said, Saudi Arabia is one
of the leading donors for the development. It has always
been recognized for humanitarian support. It plays a very
important role in international development.
“Ordinary Saudi citizens also contribute to development
efforts. We think the culture exists in this country, as it is
based on the Islamic principle of giving. It is very strong
culture in this country and they are giving not only for
national but also for international issues,” he said.
According to him, the Saudi International Youth Dialogue
Forums, covering various themes, including those of “ICT
for development”, allowed Saudi youth to interact with their
peers and other related entities to explore creative solutions
for youth participation in development and making youth
voices heard around the world.
“Youth are the real wealth and strength of any nation. Today
we are witnessing the results of how youth initiatives can
create possibilities such as this global initiative,” Nigam
added.
This new initiative recognizes the important role that Saudi
Arabia is playing in development and humanitarian
assistance and expands its role in leading global
development efforts. As the world moves forward to meet
the challenge of the SDG, the Kingdom’s leadership role, in
cooperation with other strategic partners to achieve the
global vision, will be critically important.
In January this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
UNDP signed a project document to develop the “Digital
Good” platform.
Arabnews
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