Jordan participates in Nairobi summit on population, development  

AMMAN — An official Jordanian delegation headed by Secretary-General of the Higher Population Council Abla Amawi and representatives from  governmental bodies, parliamentarians, civil society, media and youth organisations is participating in the Nairobi summit “International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) + 25 — Accelerating the Promise” from Tuesday to Thursday.

The summit aims to secure world countries’ commitment to zero preventable maternal deaths and maternal morbidities, zero unmet needs for family planning information and services and universal availability of quality, affordable and safe modern contraceptives, according to a statement from the Higher Population Council. 

The conference also seeks to garner commitment to zero sexual and gender-based violence cases, including zero cases of child, early and forced marriage, as well as zero female genital mutilations.

The Nairobi Summit represents an “important opportunity” to renew the commitment to the ICPD Programme of Action and Objectives 25 years later, accelerating efforts to achieve the conference’s unfulfilled goals, mobilise the political will and financial commitments needed to implement the ICPD Programme of Action, in addition to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the statement said.

During the summit, the delegation presented Jordan’s position paper, which included Jordan’s achievements toward the most prominent global commitments addressed at the Nairobi Summit based on ICPD Programme of Action 1994. 

These achievements resulted from the Higher Population Council’s previous consultations with relevant national and local stakeholders in this area, the delegation said.

Jordan shows its commitment to the Programme of Action of the International Conference and the priorities of the Sustainable Development Goals, by following up on the implementation of the Road Map for Development Agenda 2030 and Jordan’s vision 2025, as well as National Executive Programmes, according to the statement.

In terms of the commitment to ensure zero unmet needs for family planning information and services, the paper indicated that Jordan continues to provide quality information, advice and family planning services based on the human rights approach, especially in remote areas and vulnerable groups, and to provide family planning through the Ministry of Health.

Jordan aspires to raise the rate of using modern family planning methods from 37.4 per cent in 2018 to 43.3 per cent in 2025, according to the statement.

In terms of commitment to zero preventable maternal deaths and maternal morbidities, the paper noted that Jordan strives to reduce these phenomena by analysing the causes of morbidity and mortality based on the information from the National Register of Maternal Mortality at the Ministry of Health.

In terms of commitment to ensuring access for all adolescents and youth to comprehensive and age-responsive information, the paper emphasised Jordan’s implementation of national standards for youth-friendly reproductive health services, and the implementation of the National Strategy for Youth 2019-2025, the statement said.

Jordan also works to reduce sexual and gender-based violence by implementing legislation governing to protect against violence, reduce child marriage, implement strategies, programmes, social, psychological and health services and the National  Action Plan to limit the marriage of individuals under the age of 18  in Jordan.

The paper also noted that Jordan works towards offering supportive social security services, national health insurance by 2030, and opportunities to fund entrepreneurial projects to reduce unemployment to less than 10 per cent by 2025, as well as raise the enrollment ratio in vocational education to 30 per cent in 2025 and empower women by ensuring their access to fair and equitable rights, particularly in promoting their economic participation.

Jordan is committed to implementing the provisions of the Disability Rights Act 2017 and the Social Protection Strategy 2019-2025, which respond to the needs of vulnerable groups with disabilities, older persons and the underprivileged, according to the statement. 

The paper confirmed that Jordan is committed to implementing the Response Plan for the Syrian Crisis (2020-2022), supporting refugees to access primary healthcare facilities in cooperation with international organisations and civil society institutions.