Kabbara meets Ryder, hopes to fund projects to help cabinet face challenges

Labor Minister Mohammad Kabbara welcomed on Saturday morning in his office at the ministry Guy Ryder, General Director of the International Labor Organization (ILO) with talks reportedly featuring high on the "Future of Work in the Arab World" conference which will be held in Beirut on coming Monday. 
Discussions also tackled the displaced file and the aids that the organization can offer Lebanon to help it overcome this crisis. 
Kabbara welcomed during the meeting Ryder and the accompanying delegation and thanked them on their insistence to hold the conference in Beirut. 
"We seize this opportunity to express our appreciation and pleasure for Mr. Ryder's first visit to Lebanon as a General Director to ILO. Extending his visit three days is evidence on his interest and appreciation to the importance of holding the conference in Beirut," Kabbara said. 
The Minister explained that the conference participants would focus on strengthening the social dialogue culture among all production parties whether business owners, workers and governments; hoping the conference will be a success and it would list in its recommendations the ILO celebration to mark its centenary anniversary in 2019. 
The inister thanked the ILO, represented by the General Director, on funding and managing the infrastructure project in cooperation with the Social Affairs ministry and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), hoping they would "fund and implement other projects which help the Lebanese government to face the Syrian displacement crisis that has negatively affected the Lebanese living on all levels, especially unemployment and illegal labor." 
In turn, Ryder thanked the Minister, noting that his visit to Lebanon has two targets: first, strengthening cooperation relations between Lebanon, specifically Labor Minister, and ILO through its regional office in Beirut; second, holding the tripartite Arab meeting, a regional meeting over the labor future which Lebanon is going to host on Monday 3 April 2017. 
Ryder said, "I am glad to announce that we are to sign an agreement memorandum between the Labor Ministry and ILO (...) which I consider a developed step in fortifying relations." 

source: NNA