2NUR7 URFANO STSArea Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by Angelo Urfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip Alternative Prelim Assessment en-us 2022-02-26 16:16:00 UTC 2022-03-05 13:48:53 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f42a.png Geography AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079051230
  • The capital city of Saudi Arabia 

    • Seat of the monarchy 

    • Situated in the center of the country in the Najd (“highlands”) region

    • A rocky and relatively flat plateau rising 600 m to the east up to 1200 m to the west above sea level

    • Landlocked; does not have permanent and natural bodies of water

    • “Riyadh” came from the Arabic word روضة  which means “garden” since the city was once a desert surrounded by oases of palm trees

    • In present times, the outskirts of the city is surrounded by vast deserts. The most famous of which is The Red Sands.

    ]]>     2022-03-05 10:10:13 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079051230     Climate AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079057362
    • Situated in the tropic of cancer and so Riyadh receives more direct sun rays => less variation and distinction in seasons

    • Climate is extreme; with average temperatures reaching over 45 degrees in the summer (from March to September) and as low as 1 degree Celsius in the winter (from October to February)

    •  Receives little to no monthly precipitation; weather is extremely dry

    • Average precipitation is 2.6 inches/ year 

    • Sandstorms are common due to desert winds that blow mostly from the northwest 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 10:24:26 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079057362     Demographics AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079062299
  • About one-sixth of Saudi Arabia’s population resides in Riyadh 
  • Predominant religion of the city is Islam 
  • Arabic is the country’s official language. 
  • Islam is the predominant religion; citizens are Sunni Muslims
    • ]]>     2022-03-05 10:34:50 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079062299     Immigrants and the Overseas Filipino Workers AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079065161
  • KSA has an average population growth rate of 1.59%. However, the Saudization program to depopulate the capital from expatriates may reduce the census by 1.09% in 2030.

    • Immigrant population mostly includes Southern Asians (Inidans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis), Filipinos, Levants (Jordanians, Lebanese, Syrians) and Northern Africans

    ]]>     2022-03-05 10:40:57 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079065161     Economics AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079067166
  • In 2020, GDP is worth 2625 billion Saudi Arabian Riyals

    • In the third quarter of 2021, GDP per capita grew by 11%

    •  0.2% monthly inflation rate (as of January 2022)

    • In 2018, VAT was implemented at 5%. As of 2022, VAT is now at 15% 

    • Riyadh is the center of the country’s financial hubs 

    • Economy is heavily dependent on oil exports, petrochemicals, and the mining sector 

    • However, the government is now seeking ways on how to become a resilient economy by relying the country’s income more from non-oil products. This is the goal of KSA’s Vision 2030 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 10:45:20 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079067166     Focus City: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079070121 Riyadh is my second home. I have been residing here for almost two decades already. ]]> 2022-03-05 10:51:23 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079070121 THE TWO UN SDGs THAT RIYADH'S POLICIES SHOULD FOCUS ON ENHANCING AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079085318 2022-03-05 11:22:00 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079085318 Fight for Descent Work and Economic Growth AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079088014 CHECK OUT THE LINKS: Instances of abuse and unfair pay especially for domestic workers

    https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/09/09/news/5-abused-ofws-ask-govt-help-vs-saudi-employer/1814123

    https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/23/saudi-arabia-personal-drivers-face-abuse


    30% of KSA’s immigrants are domestic helpers who face the everyday toll of being away from their relatives, missing out important milestones that their families might be achieving, and being deprived of a constant and strong support system in times of hardships. No words may be enough to describe the pain of domestic workers while taking care of another person’s children and families without being able to physically be there to take care of their own. 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 11:27:07 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079088014     THE PROBABLE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079094041 In order for migrants to work and reside in Saudi Arabia, they must be sponsored by a local Saudi national. In the case of domestic workers, their employers are the ones who should run the errands to ensure that the current status of their employment is legal. For instance, it is the responsibility of the Saudi employer to apply for and annually renew the iqama (residence permit) of their domestic helpers once they have been recruited from an agency. Moreover, the employees themselves cannot issue nor even oversee their legal documents in Saudi Arabia  (including travel and health permits) without the permission of their employers. Some domestic workers do not even have their physical iqamas with them since they are kept by their employees instead.

    This sponsorship system (kafala system) may actually foster abuse of labor as this puts many domestic workers in the mercy of their employers and much of this abuse is concealed within the walls of their sponsor’s employers. Common violations to fair labor include late salaries, underpayment, being overworked, batter, and assault. 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 11:40:47 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079094041     HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY SOLVE THE ISSUE? AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079096075
  • A method for domestic workers to reach out and communicate to appropriate government offices should be established. A hotline or a speed dial dedicated for abused migrants should be made available.   

    • Embassies must also strengthen their ties with the different employment agencies that helped with the recruitment of these workers in order to periodically check upon the status of these migrants. Social media may be a feasible method to strengthen the connections between the domestic workers and their embassies and report any instances of abuse. 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 11:45:04 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079096075     BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTING THE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079104782
  • Language barriers since not all migrants nor even the city’s local citizens and government officials are fluent in speaking English. 

    • The cruel prohibition of the workers to access the employer's internet
     
    • Strict supervision of the employers when it comes to the phone contact history of their employees. 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 12:02:00 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079104782     LONG TERM SOLUTION THAT MAY BE MORE SUCCESSFUL UPON IMPLEMENTATION AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079105570 At best, physical random inspections with regards to the overall well-being of domestic workers must be initiated by the government

    ]]>     2022-03-05 12:03:40 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079105570     Fight to Slow Down the Effects of Climate Change AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079109928 Fossil fuel dependence

    The economy of Riyadh is very similar to a modern engine. Oil is what keeps it running. 

    Saudi Arabia is a signatory in the 2015 Paris Climate Accords and it aims to plummet the net carbon emission to 0% by 2060. Even Saudi ARAMCO (Saudi Arabian Oil Company), the country’s largest and primary driller and exporter of crude oil, pledged to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

    CHECK OUT THE LINK:      Saudi ARAMCO's advertisement highlighting their pledge to sustainability

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEIEwHNhpgM

    The country’s deterrence from oil dependence to sustain the economy as well as the inevitable global decline for the need of oil in the midst of the pandemic have indeed decreased the country’s net carbon emissions. Additional steps including the planting of 450 million trees by 2030, the country’s endeavors to foster foreign investors to make the capital a financial hub in the middle east as well as the implementation of hydrocarbon cycling has obviously contributed to the overall efforts to prevent speeding up the worsening effects of climate change.

    ]]>     2022-03-05 12:13:09 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079109928     IS SAUDI ARABIA REALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE? AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079116994 All of these projects to fight against climate change need a large sum of money to concretize and being a petrostate, much of the financial resources that the country needs is still heavily anchored on drilling for more oil. Indeed, KSA is on its way to reduce carbon use locally; however, the country does indirectly contribute to the impediment of the already foreseen effects of climate change in the upcoming years by supplying and exporting oil overseas to generate income. It’s as if they are emitting their own hydrocarbon wastes on other foreign lands instead in order to adhere to the climate accords and stray from the added responsibilities of dealing with their own carbon emissions.

    ]]>     2022-03-05 12:27:40 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079116994     WILL SOLAR ENERGY EMANCIPATE THE SAUDI ECONOMY FROM OIL DEPENDENCE? AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079135060 With vast uninhabited desert land and a constant supply of sunlight all year round, KSA can be a global front-runner in the usage of renewable solar energy. On the other hand, a city like Riyadh alone entails the construction of thousands of solar panels. The installation of which may not only potentiate the disturbance of the desert ecosystem but the manufacturing of solar panels may also contribute to the rise of land and water pollutants as heavy metals including lead and cambium are needed to capture and convert solar energy into electricity. 

    ]]>     2022-03-05 13:01:15 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079135060     WHAT OTHER ALTERNATIVES CAN RIYADH DO TO GENERATE INCOME? AngeloUrfano https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079144760 In the case of Riyadh, a long term solution to climate action is to seek other methods to generate income from non-oil products. Just like countries in East Asia including South Korea and Japan, Saudi Arabia should also invest in promoting and exporting their diverse Middle Eastern cultures abroad. Furthermore, since the two Holy Mosques of Saudi in Makkah and Madinah are important pilgrimage sites for many Muslims, the capital city can be developed into a tourist hub wherein visitors may unwind before or after performing their Hajj (pilgrimage) in the holy cities. In fact, even in the midst of the pandemic, Riyadh has already coped with the new normal and is slowly opening the country to both local and international tourists. ]]> 2022-03-05 13:18:29 UTC https://padlet.com/AngeloUrfano/wc158ip7qhoivhip/wish/2079144760