Planning minister holds slew of meetings on sidelines of UN forum

AMMAN — On the sidelines of the 2022 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development held in the UN headquarters in New York, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh on Thursday met with UN officials and delegations to present Jordan's second Voluntary National Review (VNR).

The review focuses on the progress Jordan has made in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to a Planning Ministry statement.

 Shraideh met with UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Rola Dashti, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Natalia Kanem and UN Under-Secretary General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. 

In his meetings, Shraideh stressed the importance of continuing to work alongside UN organisations and development partners within the frameworks of cooperation, which were agreed upon for 2023-2027, in line with national priorities.

The minister, along with the officials, reviewed economic and social challenges facing Jordan posed by the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as well as the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and Syrian refugee crisis. 

The officials were briefed about the latest national developments, foremost of which is the Economic Modernisation Vision, which came as a 10-year roadmap to enable Jordan to optimally benefit from the pre-existing capabilities of the Jordanian economy, referring to the Planning Ministry’s preparations of the first executive plan for this vision.

Shraideh also noted that the vision aims to create sustainable job opportunities for Jordanian youth.

Turning to women issues, the minister shed light on governmental efforts to increase women's participation in economic and political life. 

For their part, UN officials praised Jordan's reform efforts in various fields, especially with regard to the Kingdom's commitment to sustainable development goals. 

Similarly, Shraideh also met with his Iraqi counterpart Planning Minister Khaled Najm, during which he stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the Kingdom and Iraq. 

In his meeting with Bahrain’s Minister of Sustainable Development Noor Bint Ali Al Khulaif, he highlighted the Jordanian experience in preparing the VNR.

The Bahraini minister lauded Jordan’s experience, expressing aspiration to benefit from it in preparing the next Bahraini VNR, the statement said. 

Heading the Jordanian delegation, Shraideh will participate in the 2022 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development held in the UN headquarters in New York under the title “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. 

During his participation, he is expected to convey the outcomes of the 2022 Arab Forum for Sustainable Development, which was held mid-March and organised by the UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia in cooperation with the Arab League, to the UN Economic and Social Council.