ILO Cairo to Egypt Today: Entrepreneurship support creates job opportunities

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Sat, 25 Nov 2017 - 01:21 GMT

BY

Sat, 25 Nov 2017 - 01:21 GMT

Peter Jan Rooji- Director of ILO office in Cairo - Egypt today/Rehab Ismail

Peter Jan Rooji- Director of ILO office in Cairo - Egypt today/Rehab Ismail

HURGHADA, Egypt – 24 November 2017: The director of International Labor Organization (ILO) office in Cairo, Peter Van Rooij, told Egypt Today that the ILO works on supporting entrepreneurship in order to create decent jobs for young Egyptians.

Egypt Today interviewed Dutton during the Egypt Entrepreneurship Summit (EES) in Hurghada on Saturday.

“ILO is an organization of the United Nations which supports the countries that are member states, so we work at a national level and a policy level, to enable the environment to start and expand entrepreneurship,” Rooij said



He added that the ILO works on strengthening existing institutions within the government and private sector to maximize efficiency in supporting entrepreneurship. An example of their endeavors includes exposing young Egyptians in schools to an introductory course on how to start your own business in the “know about business” project.

He mentioned also that they watch projects implemented by the ILO in other countries to see what could fit and adapt with the Egyptian community.

Concerning Egypt Entrepreneurship Summit, Rooij said that the ILO is participating for the third year in organizing that event to upscale the good work through partnerships.

“EES stared three years ago, it is getting [stronger], not only [are] more people and more countries participating, but [there is] also more vibe and energy,” Rooij explained. The theme for 2017’s summit is ‘A new world of opportunities’ as entrepreneurship is one of the ways that can ensure decent jobs for young Egyptians.





Prior to his current assignment as a director of ILO office in Cairo, Peter Van Rooij worked as Country Director of the ILO Jakarta Office since 2010, according to ILO.

Since joining ILO in 1995, Rooij has served in development projects and activities related to employment and microfinance and worked as advisor to the Bureau for Employers’ Activities in Geneva.

Before joining the ILO, he worked as field implementation officer at the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Khartoum, Sudan.





In celebration of the 2017 “Global Entrepreneurship Week” (GEW), the third annual EES was launched by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Canada's Decent Jobs for Egypt’s Young People project, in collaboration with the Middle East Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (MCSBE) under the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation.

EES was held in Hurghada from November 15-18. The summit offers a meeting point for entrepreneurs, businesses, educators and policymakers to discuss how to overcome new challenges to business.

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