Businesses need to adapt to changing times: UNDP official

Manama : Businesses need to adapt to keep up with the fast changing business environment as technology continues to transform the world. 

This was the advice of Amin El Sharkawi, United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, who was speaking to entrepreneurs at the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum. 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Bahrain held a joint workshop yesterday on “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda: Opportunities for the Private Sector in Bahrain” at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre yesterday.

Elaborating on the changing nature of the global economy, he said, “Today, we cannot look at the current labour market, without envisioning what the future labour market can be. We must adapt our curriculums to keep up with the fast pace of technological advancement, the marketplace transformation which is happening much faster than any predictions. Many governments are now investing in this adaptation in order to sustain high-income jobs for the future. Bahrain is not staying behind, as it was ranked 24th in UN eGovernment Survey 2016, amongst the top advanced countries in the world,” he said. 

He added that UNDP Bahrain is actively working towards addressing this new shift through various programmes, mainly a joint program with Microsoft on coding for girls, which will help equip young girls and women with computer science skills through which they will be able to pursue future market opportunities locally and globally with jobs in the technology field.

 A key target of the programme is to substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for either employment or entrepreneurship by 2030. 

The workshop was opened by Amin El Sharkawi and Dr. Hashim Hussein, Head of UNIDO in Bahrain. International guests for the event included Alexandra Tarazi, Manager of Local Networks at the United Nations Global Compact, Pietro Bertazzi, Deputy Director at the Global Reporting Initiative, and UNDP’s Istanbul International Centre for Private Sector in Development Director, Marcos Neto.