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AMMAN — Thirteen families in the neighbourhoods of Jeeza and Muwaqqar in Amman on Thursday received new houses as part of a Royal initiative to support underprivileged families.

The initiative, which was launched in 2005, has provided housing to 3,000 families across the Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Royal Court Secretary General Yousef Issawi, head of the follow-up committee for the implementation of Royal initiatives, said that, following the handing over of these 13 houses, the total number of houses built in Jeeza and Muwaqqar under the initiative reached 40.

Other Royal initiatives in the area include the establishment of a training institute, two youth centres and the expansion of a health centre, according to Issawi.

Social Development Minister Hala Lattouf said that Royal initiatives contribute to enhancing social protection through providing underprivileged families with houses and delivering financial assistance.

AMMAN — Members of the Agadir Agreement (Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco) on Wednesday discussed means to enhance customs cooperation during a conference of the joint customs committee held in Tunis.

The meeting marks an “important step” four years after the launch of the customs committee in 2014, a statement by the agreement’s technical unit carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

Fakhri Hazaimeh, the agreement’s technical unit executive chief, said that the committee witnessed several achievements, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding on electronic exchange of information among members’ customs departments, and the facilitation of customs procedures through reducing cost, time and effort.

He also announced the completion of initial procedures to activate electronic connection among Agadir countries, which came into force on July 1. 

AMMAN — The Institute of International Education (IIE) and Philadelphia University (PU) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to formally establish the university as a partner of the IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF), a PU statement said.

PU has hosted 24 IIE-SRF fellows since 2008, the second most of any higher education institution globally, just behind Harvard University in the US, according to the statement.

The partnership aims to support academic fellowships at PU for threatened and displaced scholars from the region, the statement said. PU President Mutaz Sheikh Salem and IIE Executive Vice President Maxmillian Angerholzer III signed the memorandum of understanding at a ceremony in Amman.

AMMAN — Contrasting humanity’s advances in science and technology with a global “scarcity of hope”, Her Majesty Queen Rania on Wednesday highlighted the paradox of people starving “in the age of abundance”, as well as children being out of school “in an era of free education”, a statement from Her Majesty’s office said.

Her Majesty made her remarks at Misk Global Forum (MGF) in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where she joined senior Saudi officials, young leaders and established global innovators to explore the event’s 2017 theme, “Meeting the Challenge of Change”. 

Other speakers included Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Jonas Kjellberg, co-creator of Skype; and Allen Blue, co-founder of LinkedIn. 

In her speech, Queen Rania highlighted the “hope gap” experienced by the disadvantaged, both within the Arab region and the world at large. 

Recalling a recent trip to Bangladesh, Her Majesty described the pain she witnessed among Muslim Rohingya refugees who had been forced to flee their homes from across the border in Myanmar. 

“I spoke with people who seemed hollow from shock. In their eyes, I saw the death pits where their children were thrown, and the flames that ravaged their bodies,” she said, adding “war has overwhelmed their lives, just as it has overwhelmed the lives of millions in the Arab region.”

Her Majesty explained that, in spite of their harsh circumstances, refugee and other vulnerable children demonstrate a “boundless ability to dream”. However, she added that this positivity often diminishes with time. 

“As they grow older, their horizons narrow, closing up due to fear, obstacles and helplessness,” Her Majesty said, noting “after all, a mind full of fear has no room for dreams”.

According to the Queen, a third of the Arab population is directly affected by conflict, and “millions of others have been driven from their homelands”. Meanwhile, 13 million Arab children are out of school and the region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world today.

Arguing that innovation and technological advances alone have not alleviated the suffering of refugees and others combatting “illness, poverty, ignorance, and exclusion”, Her Majesty called for a reevaluation of motives behind acquiring technology. 

“Rather than a race to the top for the privileged few, our priority should be employing technology to empower entire societies,” she said.

“Is it not a paradox for us to become disconnected from our most critical humanitarian ideals in the age of connectivity? And for us to turn our backs on, and even fight, diversity instead of building tolerant and safe societies?” the Queen asked.  

“What we need is technology with a heart — one that beats for us. We need technology that is not measured in bits and bytes, but by its ability to close the gaps that stand between us and the self-realisation of our people,” Her Majesty added.

Citing divisions along the lines of “group, sect, religion, and ideology”, Queen Rania underscored the importance of dialogue and accepting differences, stating that people from all walks of life share a universal need “to feel that our life has value, and is valued by others”.

“If differences are the first thing we see, security will remain the last thing we enjoy,” Her Majesty added.

Queen Rania went on to call for the adoption of technologies “that add value to our lives and keep hope alive in our Arab youth”, whom she described as the region’s source of pride. “Let us broaden their horizons, and provide them with opportunities to realise their potential and achieve their ambitions,” she said.

The Queen also thanked Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz for establishing the global gathering, commending him for his “bold vision that carries appreciation and support for innovation and science.” 

The crown prince is founder and chairman of Misk, a non-profit foundation established in 2011 to cultivate learning and leadership in Saudi Arabian youth and empower them to become active participants in the knowledge economy. Now in its second year, MGF 2017, the foundation’s flagship global platform, is a two-day forum, to be attended by an estimated 2,500 people from around the world.   

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Princess Muna, Minister of Health Mahmoud Sheyyab on Wednesday inaugurated the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) new multispecialty medical centre at Zaatari refugee camp, a SAMS statement said.

With this new enterprise, SAMS, a leading medical relief organisation with offices in the US, Syria and its neighbouring countries, in addition to Greece, provides dignified and high-quality healthcare to refugees living in the camp.

SAMS President Ahmad Tarakji and SAMS Foundation Chairman Amjad Rass, attended the opening ceremony at Zaatari Camp, highlighting SAMS’s role in providing healthcare to refugees living inside and outside the camp. 

The SAMS multi-specialty medical centre will address the vast and urgent health care needs of 80,000 refugees currently living in Zaatari camp, the world’s largest Syrian refugee camp, according to the statement. 

Many refugees in the camp suffer from chronic and communicable illnesses and emotional trauma that have gone untreated due to a lack of consistent, specialised medical services. The new medical centre is expected to provide 7,700 medical services per month, treating up to 350 patients on a daily basis, in various areas of specialty care, including cardiology, neurology, paediatrics, gynaecology, dental and orthopedics, as well as those pertaining to primary and preventative care. 

At the front lines of crisis relief in Syria and its neighbouring countries since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, SAMS has provided medical services in Zaatari for over three years, regularly heading medical missions in the area to offer free, quality care to refugees, with 95,637 medical services offered inside Zaatari Camp in 2016, the statement continued.

“The new medical centre has been carefully designed to address the growing need for ongoing, quality medical care to refugees, following the recent closure of a number of health facilities in the camp. We are proud to announce that our centre will be fully equipped to focus not only on treatment, but also on prevention, wellness and specialty care,” Tarakji was quoted in the statement as saying. “We are confident that the facility will serve as a beacon of hope and a place of respite for the camp’s residents, and in so doing, help provide them a future they can look forward to.”

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Wednesday said that Jordan’s media network has always displayed “sustained commitment” towards national and Arab issues and concomitantly maintained a “professional and ethical” approach.

Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, made the remarks during the inauguration of a conference held by the faculty of media at Yarmouk University, titled “Media and political transformations in the Middle East”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He noted that local media outlets have prioritised values of accuracy and transparency over speed and scoops, which proved their “commitment to the profession’s ethics and bias towards national interests”.

The government has sought to support the sector to highlight citizens’ concerns and fulfil their aspirations, he noted.

He also pointed to the media’s crucial role in denouncing rhetoric of division, hatred, incitement, which plagued many societies and turned into a tool to sabotage their stability.

The minister also referred to the dire need to foster the role of media as an effective and robust means to raise awareness of radical orientations, conducive to terrorism, in a collective effort to eliminate their repercussions.

Momani said that amendments to the cyber crime law are important for addressing risks and controlling malpractices online, in addition to limiting harmful contents that affect the rights of individuals and promote sectarianism, which threatens the security and safety of society. 

He stressed that these amendments, which are currently being studied by the Legislation and Opinion Bureau, will neither affect public freedoms nor restrict the freedom of expression, as they are aimed at enahncing individuals’ rights.

Yarmouk University President Rifat Faouri said that remarkable changes can be observed in the media sector, especially under the “massive flow” of information resulting from the development of media and social media tools.

Dean of the media faculty Ali Najadat said that regional events and political, economic and social transformations have “exhausted and frustrated” Arabs.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Tuesday took part in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Business Forum 2017 of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Region held under the title “Investing for Sustainable Growth”, a Planning Ministry statement said.

The forum, held in Cairo, saw the participation of EBRD governors of Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon’s deputy governor and the Morrocan ambassador, in addition to policymakers, investors and businesspeople.

The event aimed to discuss regional issues focusing on the obstacles that are hindering the expected economic growth, the minister said, highlighting the importance of Jordan’s participation as a member in the bank and a beneficiary of the bank’s investments and aid, the statement read.

Fakhoury, who is Jordan’s governor in the bank, said that the Kingdom is scheduled to head EBRD’s board of governors’ annual meeting that will be held in Jordan 2018.

The planning minister said that the bank understands the additional challenges faced by some of the region’s countries due to hosting the Syrian refugees and voiced his appreciation for the bank’s support in providing financial support with concessional terms, in addition to grants, according to the statement.

Fakhoury briefed the participants on the economic situation in the Kingdom, stressing that the economic growth dropped from 6 to around 2 per cent over the past seven years and that unemployment rose from 12 to 18 per cent.

The minister also presented Jordan’s success story with the bank, pointing out that the volume of operations rose to more than $1 billion in the last three years, including private sector operations by more than 90 per cent. This support has also greatly contributed to strengthening Jordan’s resilience during one of Jordan’s most difficult periods, the statement read. 

Fakhoury said that Jordan has been able to develop a successful model of public-private partnerships in the region with an investment volume of more than $10 billion in the last 10 years for projects in the sectors of power generation, water and sanitation, renewable energy, transport, infrastructure and urban development.

He outlined Jordan’s experience in implementing successful projects in partnership with the private sector such as renewable energy projects ($2 billion of projects have been launched over the past three years in the form of a partnership between the public and private sectors), all of which contribute to achieving the objectives of the National Energy Strategy in Jordan. 

In accordance with Jordan Plan to Stimulate Economic Growth 2018-2022, there will be a significant number of priority projects in the field of infrastructure worth $15 billion, which constitute important investment opportunities to be implemented in the form of public-private partnership in the sectors of energy, renewable energy, electricity, transport, ICT, water, sanitation, solid waste, urban development and green economy, according to the minister.

On the sidelines of the forum, Fakhoury met officials from EBRD including the Bank’s President Suma Chakrabarti and other officials, who are involved in cooperation with Jordan, and a number of the bank’s managers in the sectors of infrastructure, transport, energy and natural resources.

AMMAN — Jordanian and Arab officials on Wednesday said that fighting extremist thoughts and ideologies through a comprehensive plan is essential in minimising the threat worldwide.  

“Fighting extremist ideologies is essential to combat terrorism and we can do this by spreading peaceful thoughts that encourage the respect of the rule of law, pluralism and the other,” said Musa Maaytah, minister of political and parliamentary affairs.

Maaytah, who was deputising for Prime Minister Hani Mulki, made his remarks at the opening session of the 11th session of the Amman Security Colloquium held at the University of Jordan.

The high level event is organised by the Arab Institute of Security Studies and sponsored by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), the Government of the Netherlands and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).

Maaytah said that Jordan’s historical and geographical position, which lies in a hot conflict zone, “is reflecting negatively on Jordan’s politics, security, and economy”.

“We realise the amount of challenges facing our country, and that is why our Jordanian diplomacy has been wise and balanced and only seeks political solutions and dialogue without interfering in the Arab, regional and international affairs,” Maaytah added.

The same applies to the Syrian conflict since “our position has always been to call for a peaceful and political solution in Syria and our interference was limited to the humanitarian aspect of receiving refugees despite the limited resources,” he noted. 

The recent developments in the region have resulted in “the apparition of terror groups that used religion and chaos to spread poisonous ideologies in our society”, the minister said. 

Also speaking during the opening session was the undersecretary general of the United Nations office of counter-terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov.

“Today, in many regions of the world, preventing and resolving conflicts is increasingly dependent on effectively preventing and countering terrorism,” Voronkov told the gathering.

The UN official added: “Arabs, Muslims and other communities are the first victims of terrorism,” highlighting the fact that “terrorism affects us all and should not be associated with any religion, nationality or ethnic group”.

Voronkov also pointed out to the recent establishment of the UN office of counter-terrorism that is headed by António Guterres.  

“This new office of counter-terrorism is intended to provide leadership in the UN’s work to address counter-terrorism; enhance coordination and coherence across relevant UN bodies and international organisations; and strengthen capacity-building activities in support of member states, always upon their request,” Voronkov explained.

Also addressing the gathering during the opening session was Maj. Ali Ruewaili, a retired officer in the army of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who said that “terrorism is a world-wide phenomenon”.

“The UN lists 139 organisations on its black list because they are considered terrorists.  Only 19 of these organisations are in the Middle east,” said Ruewaili, who is the director of the special training programmes at Prince Nayef Arab University for Security Science.

Ruewaili highlighted the efforts exerted by his country in fighting terrorism globally.

“Saudi Arabia donated over $100 million to the UN and other entities to help in fighting terrorism,” Ruewaili said.

Internally, Ruewaili added, “we worked on three fronts and have succeeded in aborting 220 possible terror operations.”

“We are also focusing on educating people and raising awareness about the threats of terror and have established several advisory centres to reach out to potential individuals who might carry out terror acts and spread extremist thoughts and to fight terrorism funding and money laundering,” Ruewaili explained.

The two-day event is one of the few annual gatherings aimed at discussing emerging regional and global security challenges, and opens the door for discussions and interactions among local and international politicians, decision makers and diplomats.

The colloquium will be hosting a number of high level organisations with representatives from the US, the EU, Iran, Saudi Arabia, among other countries.

AMMAN — Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Natalia Kanem on Monday concluded  a three-day mission to Jordan, marking the end of  her first official visit to the Kingdom and the Middle East since her appointment as the fifth UNFPA executive director on October 3. 

Kanem introduced her mission to Jordan in a press conference on Monday, where the official expressed her gratitude for the Jordanian government’s “generous support to the refugees and pledge to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals.”

“During my time here, I gained a clear sense of the huge responsibility that the government is taking, and I want to thank them for all the support they have provided to those living in Jordan whether nationals or not, securing their right to be educated and sheltered and to participate in the national life,” Kanem expressed, noting that “UNFPA supports all Jordanian institutions and their commitment to gender equality, family planning and reproductive health.”

“However, there are still many challenges to address,” the official continued, stressing that Jordan is still included in the 10 per cent of countries with the lowest gender development index. 

In this regard, Kanem urged the government to address issues such as child marriage, high fertility and the increasing youth population, and to continue its commitments to reproductive health, family planning and gender equality. 

Furthermore, the official alerted that “the economic aspirations of the Jordanian national plans and targets for the 2030 agenda can not be realised without investments that address gender inequities for marginalised women,” adding that “this point applies not only to Jordan, but to all countries, as we have stated in our recent State of World Population report.”

During her three-day visit to the Kingdom, Kanem met with several government officials, including Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Mamdouh Abbadi and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury. 

The official also visited the UNFPA-supported maternity centre at the Zaatari refugee camp. “Over 8,000 babies were born in the past six years of crisis in Syria without a single maternal death,” Kanem highlighted, noting that “this initiative clearly shows that, where investments in quality reproductive health care, including family planning and safe delivery, are secured, maternal death is almost completely avoidable.”

She then toured the UNFPA-funded Sweileh community health centre, remarking how the centre “continued its open-door policy of providing reproductive health services to the most vulnerable in the country, including refugees”.

“Investment in sexual and reproductive health as fundamental human rights is the cornerstone of preparing a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled,” Kanem concluded, urging “explicit funding and integration of these topics into the national budget”.

Earlier this year, UNFPA representatives alerted that the US decision to deny future funding to UNFPA would affect the agency’s efforts to provide support for southern Syria from Jordan and to host refugee populations in Jordan. 

“The US defunding will affect UNFPA’s efforts to provide support from Jordan across the borders to inside southern Syria, where we are providing reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention in Daraa, Quneitra and east Ghouta governorates,” Omar Gharzeddine, media specialist at UNFPA’s headquarters in New York, told The Jordan Times.

“[The loss of funding] might also result in UNFPA running out of money to pay its essential Jordan-based humanitarian staff salaries, which would lead to a loss of jobs for Jordanians hired for humanitarian work,” added Gharzeddine. 

AMMAN — The Canadian embassy on Wednesday launched a three-day event in Amman with the aim of celebrating the achievements of Jordanian and Canadian women.

Titled “Women in History Month”, the event will include the screening of two Jordanian and Canadian movies, in addition to four discussion panels. 

The embassy on Wednesday hosted the screening of the Canadian movie “Meditation Park” while the Jordanian movie “When Monaliza Smiled” will be shown at the embassy on Thursday. 

 Ghada Saba, the artistic director of Women in History in Jordan, said that both movies were directed by women and reflect on accomplishments of women from both countries. 

October is Women’s History Month in Canada, a time when Canadians honour the achievements of women and girls throughout Canada’s history, acknowledging  the trailblazing women who shaped the country and its way of life, according to an embassy statement. 

“Therefore, I was inspired to hold a similar event for the first time in Jordan thanks to the cooperation of the Canadian embassy in Amman. It will be a good opportunity for a cultural exchange between the two countries,” Saba told The Jordan Times over the phone.  

On Sunday, the embassy will host four panel discussions by women activists and participants working in the field of women rights. Discussions will cover how women helped in making history in the Kingdom, according to Saba. 

Distinguished Canadian and Jordanian panelists will deliver a number of presentations covering the fields of media, arts and culture as well as activism, the embassy’s statement read. 

The event will be live streamed on the Facebook page of the “Embassy of Canada to Jordan”.