Panel discussion tackles obstacles in path of women’s economic participation

AMMAN — The EuroMed Feminist Initiative (EFI) on Monday held a concluding panel discussion titled “Addressing Practical, Social, Cultural and Legal Barriers to Women’s Economic Participation in Jordan”, with the aim of reviewing the best practices, lessons learnt and procedures implemented by partners during the COVID-19 crisis.  

The panel discussion provided a platform for decision makers, influencers, government officials, academics, international and national organisations and private sector to continue the dialogue on how to better serve and improve the development of local communities and insure sustainability.

EU Delegation to Jordan, attaché of Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (the MADAD) Giorgia Garofalo Cornaro said: “Our support is part of a much bigger EU support in response to the Syrian crisis,” according to a statement from the event organisers. 

“I’m happy to announce here that this project which was launched back in December 2014 to help Syrians as well as the countries in the region to cope with the shock of the Syrian war has been now extended for one more year until December 2021,” Cornaro noted. 

She added that job creation is “at the heart of EU’s partnership with Jordan’ and investing in people.

EFI Country Manager Insaf Daas said that the initiative’s role was complementary with partners through signing memoranda of understanding with relevant ministries and departments.

Daas noted that executive partners included the Business Development Centre, Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights and SADAQA, a non-profit organisation.

In September 2018, EuroMed Feminist Initiative and a consortium of partner organisations in Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan started implementing a gender regional programme “Strengthening access to protection, participation and services for women refugees, IDPs and host communities”, “Madad for Women”. 

Using complementary and comprehensive approaches to support women’s participation in the labour market, the programme enhanced employability skills of women, strengthened their knowledge on women’s labour rights, increased public awareness about women’s rights to work and progressed dialogues with policy makers, private sector and women beneficiaries.