Pope Tawadros II Emphasizes Work as Key to Egypt’s Progress
The sixth employment forum, “Job Hub 6,” took place at the Papal headquarters in Cairo on Saturday, inaugurated earlier in the day by Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. The event saw participation from the Ministers of Youth and Sports, and Labor, as well as the Governor of Cairo and the head of the technical secretariat for the National Coalition for Developmental Community Work.
Organized by the Archdiocese of Public Services and Social Affairs in collaboration with the “Youth Egypt Initiative,” the forum also partnered with the Ministries of Labor, Youth and Sports, and other organizations including the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency and several major private sector companies.
The official meeting included speeches from several dignitaries such as Jawhar Nabil, Minister of Youth and Sports; Hassan Radad, Minister of Labor; Bishop Julius, Bishop of Services; Ambassador Nabila Makram, head of the technical secretariat for the National Coalition for Developmental Community Work; and Dr. Kirellos Samir, head of the Board of Trustees for the Youth Egypt Initiative. They also presented an overview of key activities undertaken by the initiative.
Pope Tawadros emphasized that work is essential for hope and that Egypt cannot progress or reclaim its place in the world without it. He stated, “We need to instill a culture of work in our sons and daughters. A society like China has grown and expanded to be known as ‘the factory of the world’ across all fields of production due to its work culture.” He praised the gathering at “Job Hub 6” for their collaboration.
He further stressed the importance of embedding a value system around work within youth, declaring: “Work is hope for our nation and every family; there is no other way.” The Pope noted that families with unemployed graduates represent untapped potential. He urged officials and unions to take significant steps to provide job opportunities for these youths to foster a love for work among them while steering clear from a culture of dependency.
He highlighted that if young people engaged in work, many societal issues such as violence, family disintegration, illegal immigration, and addiction could diminish significantly.
Pope Tawadros concluded by thanking all attendees and participants for their contributions. He expressed hope that this event would recur annually, reiterating that work is indeed hope for every individual in society.
The sixth employment forum offers ten thousand job opportunities, five thousand training positions, and two hundred new project ideas to all Egyptians.
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