The Conference brought together high-level policymakers, industry leaders and prominent academicians to lay the policy and strategic groundwork and identify innovative solutions for the development of human capital in tourism in the Middle East and North Africa region and advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 8 on economic growth and jobs, in the region.
Building on the roadmap set by the UNWTO Study ‘Tourism Labour Market in the Middle East and North Africa Region’, the conference featured an update on the region´s tourism labour market performance. It is evident that up-to-date reliable data is needed for monitoring impact of existing interventions, tracking progress and for informing policy-making. For this reason, a key objective of the Conference was to set the framework for a comprehensive and regular monitoring mechanism of tourism labour market performance in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Participants discussed policies and strategies to address key issues in the region such as the creation of quality jobs and closing the decent work deficit, skills development, the stimulation of youth employment and women participation in the tourism labour market and supporting tourism MSMEs for economic growth and job creation. The Conference shared ample good practices that can be implemented across the region.
Finally and in the spirit of fostering partnerships, the Conferenc provided a high level platform for discussions on joint projects and transnational cooperation.