Planning minister calls for cooperation with universities, Scientific Research Fund

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, who is also the chairman of the board of directors of the Higher Population Council (HPC), on Wednesday chaired the periodic meeting of the council.

The meeting, which was attended by relevant ministers and representatives, came to discuss the achievements of the council during the last quarter of 2017, its annual plan and budget for 2018, a statement from the ministry said.

During the meeting, Fakhoury stressed the importance of cooperation with the Jordanian universities and the Scientific Research Fund in the field of population studies and development, and linking the research findings with the needs of the country.

The minister highlighted the achievements of the HPC and its role in facing the population challenges and issues through drafting development policies, and preparing national plans that would contribute to tackle the challenges, according to the statement.

For her part, HPC Secretary General Maisoon Zu'bi outlined the achievements realised during the fourth quarter of 2017, noting that the council has launched a study and a policy synopsis on vocational work in school curricula.

Zu'bi said that the council has also launched the population opportunity policy for 2017, which was approved by the Council of Ministers, adding that the HPC is currently preparing a national executive plan to monitor progress of investing in the population opportunity policy in cooperation with relevant national bodies.

The achievements also included preparing polices and plans on reproductive health for young people and marriage of under-age girls, according to Zu'bi.

The HPC has organised a conference on dealing with refugees in terms of challenges and opportunities, during which Jordan's example was reviewed as a model in hosting refugees, the statement said.

In cooperation with the Arab League, the council held the 18th meeting of presidents of Arab population councils and committees. During the meeting, the attendees approved establishing the Arab Higher Council for Population and Development.

The HPC's executive plan for 2018 will include a study on the impact of narcotics on the Jordanian community, launching the outcomes of the study on young people entering the labour market and entrepreneurship, and updating the national strategy of reproductive health 2019-2022.

The council will also work on implementing a plan on flexible work programmes in cooperation with the Labour Ministry in 2018, implementing the HPC media strategy and preparing the fourth national report on Cairo Declaration for 2015-2017, concluded the statement.