Saudi- Forum on employment of disabled 

(MENAFN - Arab News) The Ministry of Labor will organize a forum and workshop on the Tawafuq, the scheme to employ persons with special needs, in Riyadh on Monday.

The two-day event will review the achievements of the Tawafuq program over the past six months since its inception. The consultant team of KPMG company will evaluate the scheme's performance.

The participants in the forum will discuss the experience in employing disabled people in various countries and different departments. The participants will also examine the existing rules and regulations and other legal matters related to the employment of disabled people besides exploring the mechanism to effectively implement the laws governing their employment.

A major topic of discussion at the forum will be the findings of some Tawafuq studies about the obstacles and challenges in the way of employing the disabled.

The workshop will also discuss papers on the International Labor Organization's regulations regarding the employment of the disabled besides the creation of the right environment for employing the disabled and how the implementation of the relevant rules could be achieved.

Apart from the Ministry of Labor, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Civil Service and Ministry of Health will participate in the workshop and the forum. In addition to government organizations such as the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation and the Manpower Development Fund, representatives of charity societies for the disabled in various provinces will also participate in the event.

The Nitaqat program implemented by the Ministry of Labor last year also gives incentives to those who employ Saudis with special needs in place of expatriates.

Separately, a youth festival for the disabled entitled "Be My Friend" will be held at a sport club in Sakaka in Al-Jouf on May 5 under the sponsorship of the province's Gov. Prince Fahd bin Badr. The festival aims at integrating people of special needs into society.

The festival activities are designed to target all sections of society, to boost tourism and spread cultural awareness through workshops, seminars and debates to discuss all matters pertaining to disability.

An accompanying exhibition titled "Extreme Challenge" would display examples of strong-willed disabled people. It will tour various cities and towns in the Kingdom during summer.