Latest news with #LaborandSocialAffairs
Shafaq News
3 days ago
- Shafaq News
19KG of opium seized: Al-Sulaymaniyah's Asayish arrest two men
Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan Region anti-narcotics forces arrested two men in al-Sulaymaniyah for drug trafficking, the Asayish General Directorate announced on Sunday. In a statement, the directorate said a specialized team staged an ambush under judicial orders, seizing 19 kilograms of opium concealed in a cargo vehicle bound for transport outside the Region. The suspects remain in custody under Article 25 of the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law as investigations continue, it added. The arrests came days after Labor and Social Affairs Minister Kwestan Mohammed warned that Kurdistan has become a major transit hub for narcotics moving to neighboring states and Canada. She recalled that Iraq and the Region were largely drug-free before 2003 but have since been overwhelmed by flows from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Shafaq News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Kurdistan marks International Anti-Drug Day as narcotics crisis deepens
Shafaq News – al-Sulaymaniyah The Kurdistan Region observed the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday with a wide-scale scientific and awareness conference in al-Sulaymaniyah, as officials raised alarm over the growing reach of narcotics within Kurdish society. The event, organized with broad governmental and civic participation, focused on confronting what organizers described as a fast-spreading crisis threatening the social fabric—particularly among the youth. Kozhin Othman, coordinator of the conference, said the initiative is part of a long-term strategy to promote public awareness and curb the spread of drugs through education and institutional cooperation. Speaking during the event, Kurdistan's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kwestan Mohamad, warned that Kurdistan—once virtually drug-free, like the rest of Iraq —has since 2003 experienced a dramatic and troubling shift. She cautioned that the Region has become a central corridor linking major drug producers in Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to markets extending from neighboring countries to as far as Canada. In May alone, authorities reportedly arrested 5,746 people across the Region in connection with various crimes, with 1,576—over 27 percent—linked to drug-related offenses, including 81 women.
Shafaq News
04-06-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Iraq backs worker rights at global labor summit
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ahmed al-Asadi, met with his Turkish counterpart, Vedat Isıkhan on Tuesday in Geneva during the 113th session of the . The meeting, held at the United Nations headquarters, was part of Iraq's broader efforts to strengthen its labor legislation in line with international standards. Al-Asadi led Iraq's tripartite delegation, which included representatives of government, employers, and workers. During the conference, the Iraqi delegation participated in discussions on global labor issues such as biological risk protection, regulating digital platform work, and integrating the informal economy. Al-Asadi stressed Iraq's commitment to updating national labor laws to meet international conventions, with a focus on occupational health, social protection, and workers' rights. He also confirmed Iraq's plans to submit outstanding reports on core labor conventions by September, covering areas such as forced labor, child labor, workplace safety, and maritime labor protections. 113. Uluslararası Çalışma Konferansı kapsamında Irak Çalışma ve Sosyal İşler Bakanı Sayın Ahmed Jassem Saber Al-Asadi ile gerçekleştirdiğimiz ikili görüşmede, iki ülke arasında istihdam ve sosyal güvenlik alanlarında iş birliğini kurumsallaştırmayı sağlayacak adımları… — Prof. Dr. Vedat Işıkhan (@isikhanvedat) June 3, 2025
LBCI
16-04-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Ministerial committee on Syrian displaced persons discusses initial plan for their safe and dignified return to their country
The ministerial committee on Syrian displaced persons held its second meeting, led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Metri and attended by Ministers Michel Mnassa, Ahmad Al-Hajjar, Haneen Sayed, Adel Nassar, and Mohammad Haidar, with Minister Youssef Raji absent due to travel. The attendees continued gathering accurate information about the number of Syrian displaced persons and their legal, social, and economic situations. They also discussed previous official attempts to return displaced Syrians to their home country. In light of Lebanon's firm stance against resettlement in all its forms, the committee reviewed the preliminary plan for the safe and dignified return of the displaced to Syria. They affirmed Lebanon's readiness to implement the plan in cooperation with Syrian authorities and relevant international organizations. Tarek Metri, the committee chair, and Minister Haneen Sayed also met with a Syrian delegation led by Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Hind Kabawat to discuss all aspects of returning displaced Syrians to their homeland.
Shafaq News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq: Most Syrian workers are undocumented
Shafaq News/ Iraq is working to regulate foreign labor, but Syrian workers have been excluded, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Ahmed Al-Asadi, announced on Thursday. 'We have taken steps to correct the status of foreign workers, but Syrians have not benefited because they did not enter through official channels,' he explained in a televised interview. Most Syrian workers, he noted, entered Iraq illegally, either through smuggling routes or from the Kurdistan Region, making up 80-90% of employees in Baghdad's restaurants. 'The number of Arab and foreign workers in Iraq exceeds 800, 000,' Al-Asadi stated, stressing that Iraqi law requires employers to hire one Iraqi worker for every foreign worker. A video recently circulated showing a masked group assaulting Syrian workers in Iraq. In response, the government announced it would pursue legal action against members of an armed faction identified in the video. Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces have begun monitoring social media accounts and arresting Syrians accused of promoting terrorism, following a surge in violence along Syria's coastal region. Security sources reported that authorities had also issued directives to scrutinize the records of all Syrians in Iraq, particularly those with expired residency permits
