Fakhoury highlights gov't measures to follow up on London conference

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Sunday highlighted the government's measures to follow up on the implementation of the Jordan Compact.

The compact is the final statement issued by the Kingdom following the London donor conference earlier this month. 

It outlines Jordan’s “holistic approach” to the Syrian refugee crisis and lists pledges made by donors to the Kingdom.

During a meeting with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lilianne Ploumen, Fakhoury said the government has formed a ministerial committee to draw up an executive plan, prepare project proposals to submit to donors and highlight the priorities prepared by Jordan to find the proper donor and translate them into reality.

The government also formed a technical committee composed of the undersecretaries of the concerned ministries and institutions and the Jordan Investment Commission. 

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation will also create a unit — supported by the UK, the World Bank and the USAID — to follow up on the outcomes of the London conference and to ensure the sustainability of running and implementing the content of the Jordan Compact.

A ministry statement quoted Fakhoury as saying that the government is working on eight components to implement the Jordan Compact. 

These are creating a unit to follow up on implementation; negotiating with the EU to simplify rules of origin; reorganising the labour market; launching a new extended credit programme with the International Monetary Fund; developing the business environment to host investments; and implementing grants given to the new Jordan Response Plan (JRP) 2016-2018.

Moreover, the government is working on supporting the education sector in line with the JRP, and implementing obligations of concessionary funding and grants to finance the funding gap and the development projects according to the 2016-2018 budget and the executive development programme 2016-2018, the statement said.

Discussions with the Dutch minister, whose country is currently heading the European Union, also covered prospects of cooperation in development.

Fakhoury highlighted the importance of implementing the commitments that the international community pledged in the recently held London conference.

He thanked the Netherlands for its support for Jordan, especially during the donor conference.

Citing the preliminary outcomes of the latest population census, the minister said Jordan is hosting some 1.3 million Syrians. 

The refugee influx, coupled with regional unrest, has affected the rates of growth, investments, exports and tourism, posing a threat to the development gains that Jordan has achieved.

Fakhoury and Ploumen exchanged views on regional issues and the protracted challenges of the Syrian crisis.

The Dutch minister was briefed on the economic developments in Jordan and the most important priorities of the Jordan 2025 Vision. 

For her part, the Dutch minister stressed her country's deep-rooted ties with Jordan, which has a pivotal regional role, praising the Kingdom's reform drive.

Ploumen expressed her country's willingness to provide humanitarian support to Syrian refugees and their host communities.

She underlined the importance of economic cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, agriculture and tourism.

 The Netherlands, she said, supports Jordan's efforts to follow up on the implementation of the London conference's outcomes.