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AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Monday met with MP and Minister of State for International Development and Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alistair Burt, according to a Planning Ministry statement.

During the meeting, Fakhoury thanked the UK for its continued support to Jordan’s development process and facing the burden of hosting Syrian refugees.

Fakhouri stressed the need for the international community to fully honour its commitments to support the Kingdom, highlighting the role of the UK and the EU in following up and ensuring the fulfilment of the commitments made during the London and Brussels conferences on Syria and the host countries.

Fakhoury and Burt discussed means of boosting the development cooperation between the two countries. They stressed the importance to enhance efforts in mobilising the necessary international support to assist Jordan through supporting the Jordan Response Plan to the Syrian crisis, the provision of grants and concessional funding to support the public budget, in light of the central role played by Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah.

The UK official stressed his country’s understanding of Jordan’s challenges and the continuation of support to various vital sectors such as education, water, economic opportunities for host communities, the statement read.

Fakhoury and Burt discussed the development priorities in accordance with the government’s Executive Development Programme 2018-2020, which includes the outcome of the Plan to Stimulate Economic Growth 2018-2022 and the outcomes of other national strategies.

The UK has supported vital sectors in the Kingdom including its efforts in the implementation of the agreement to simplify the rules of origin for Jordanian products at the EU markets, the statement added.

Burt commended Jordan’s pivotal role in enhancing the regional and international security and peace, as well as in fighting terrorism, inter-faith dialogue and hosting the Syrian refugees.

AMMAN — A total of 10 innovative projects created by young students with the aim of finding solutions to different social problems were displayed on Sunday at the second edition of the Young Innovators Lab.

The children were part of a 10-month programme launched by the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, which aims to improve their critical thinking skills. 

The projects focused on solving daily problems encountered by the young students, including ways to prevent domestic incidents related to babies, help students concentrate while studying, or avoid deaths by suffocation caused by heaters or fireplaces during winter time. 

A total of 42 children between the ages of 10 and 13 participated in the second edition of the Young Innovators Lab, held under the patronage of Minister of Education Omar Razaz.

 “The programme has helped us to think in the right way,” said Zain Al Qudah, a 13-year-old participant from Amman. 

“Now, we depend on ourselves when we need to find answers to problems; we don’t have to look for them in books – we think for ourselves,” the student added.

“We might be changing the world,” said optimistic Ahmad Loay Al Sarayrah, an 11-year-old from Karak. 

His team focused on the large number of deaths caused by gas inhalation and fires from heaters during winter. The team  created a sensor-based system to alert people to open the window when levels of carbon in the air are too high, therefore allowing oxygen to enter.

“Our project will help save lives,” Loay Al-Sarayrah told The Jordan Times during the exhibition.  

The second edition of the Young Innovators Lab included participants from Amman and Karak, with over 400 children who submitted their ideas to the foundation. 42 of them, 27 from Amman and 15 from Karak were selected to turn their ideas into reality.

“We teach children not to use the usual source of information,” said Husam Tarawneh, a representative of Karak’s Creativity Club, adding  that“the students are capable of thinking in a critical way that allows them to create these innovative projects on their own”.

Tarawneh highlighted the importance of the programme for the community of Karak. “This isn’t just an opportunity for the children — it helps the overall community, both socially and economically,” he said.

“Shoman gives training to these young students; they told us their initial ideas and we helped them to improve it,” said Nouwar Abdulmajeed, the foundation’s Cultural Projects Manager.

“We didn’t tell them what to think, we just taught them how to think critically so that they could develop their ideas effectively,” Abdulmajeed stressed.

All the students had mentors, students from local universities, helping and advising them throughout their project.

“Our role is to help them when they need us, especially during the production phase,” said mentor Hiba Qawasmi, adding that “we are just there to guide them; they are very smart children, they just need a little guidance in critical thinking”.

“We had so many ideas, we wanted to make a difference and to save lives,” said 14-year-old Ireen Rousan from Amman. 

Children, parents, and friends attended the exhibition of the 10 prototypes, which were created to solve problems concerning both the public and the private sectors.

AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a July Criminal Court verdict sentencing a 40-year-old construction worker to 22 years in prison  after convicting him of murdering his friend over a JD2 debt in Irbid in April 2016.

The court declared the defendant guilty of fatally stabbing his friend, aged 43, following an argument on April 18, and handed him a 20-year-prison term.

The court decided to increase the verdict by two years because the defendant “was a repeated offender.”

Court papers said the defendant was playing cards with his friends at a coffee shop in Irbid city.

“The victim approached the defendant and asked to talk to him in private,” court documents added.

The victim asked the defendant to “give him back the JD2 he had lent him recently, but the victim refused and an argument ensued”.

“The defendant drew a switchblade and stabbed the victim repeatedly on his chest and stomach,” according to court papers.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but died shortly afterwards as a result of the stab wounds sustained to his stomach, the court documents added. 

The defendant did not appeal the verdict. The Criminal Court general prosecutor appealed the verdict, asking the Cassation Court to uphold the sentence.

The higher court ruled that the Criminal Court ruling was correct and the defendant deserved the punishment he received.

The Court of Cassation tribunal comprised judges Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Naji Zubi, Bassem Mubeidin and Nayef Samarat.

AMMAN — The International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) has recently selected HRH Princess Dana, chairperson of the Petra National Trust and UNESCO goodwill ambassador, as the “Global Ambassadors of Peace Through Tourism”, a IIPT statement said.

The announcement of the selection of the “Global Ambassadors of Peace Through Tourism” was made during the World Travel Market, held in London on November 6.

The princess was chosen among six “outstanding people” from the world of travel and tourism.

Speaking at the event, Founder President of IIPT India said: “Each one of our Ambassadors for Peace 2017 are exceptional persons who have had an illustrious career in tourism and each one of them embodies the founding principles of IIPT”. 

AMMAN — The 24th annual Jordanian Theatre Festival, under the patronage of Culture Minister Nabih Shuqum, starts at the Royal Cultural Centre on Tuesday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

The festival, which is held in cooperation with the Jordan Artists Association, will showcase musical and theatrical performances, a short movie and several workshops.

It will also honour leading Jordanian artists. Participants from the UAE, Kuwait, Sudan, Egypt, Palestine and Iraq are taking part in the festival, which will conclude on November 21.

AMMAN — Government human rights coordinator Basel Tarawneh on Monday launched a report assessing the efforts exerted as part of the Kingdom’s report on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which will be presented at the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva later this month.

Tarawneh said in a statement to the Jordan News Agency, Petra that the Royal discussion papers, the Comprehensive National Plan for Human Rights, the Amman Declaration, the strategy on women and the Jordan Vision 2025, all contributed to supporting the efforts to end all forms of discrimination.

Jordan, he said, ratified a number of agreements including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination that has become an integral part of national legislations.

AMMAN — The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and Egyptian Armed Forces on Monday started a military drill in Egypt to boost operational preparedness, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

The two-week drill, titled “Aqaba 3”, aims to boost relations between the armies of both countries and train the troops in conducting joint security related tasks.

Troops from both countries will be training in activities designed to deal with the current regional situation.

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday met with five Jordanian entrepreneurs and businesswomen to congratulate them on their success at TechWomen 2017, which was held in Silicon Valley in October.

 The Queen commended them on their winning project, titled “Orphans in Jordan”, which consists of a digital platform aimed at increasing orphan’s low enrollment rates in institutes of higher education, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office. 

Her Majesty also expressed her pride in their achievements, and discussed with them the important impact their project will have on their community, paving the way for other Jordanians to similarly excel.

Hailing from across the Kingdom, the Jordanian team consisted of Aseel Al Musa, Nour Al Tobasi, Ala’a Agha Karss, Hiba Shabrouq and Dhelal Shorman, who were among 100 participants chosen from a total of 4,000 applicants from 20 countries. 

The team was awarded one of five socioeconomic seed grants, with the remaining four awarded to teams from Cameroon, Kenya, Pakistan and South Africa. 

Inspired by the women’s time spent volunteering at local orphanages, their project will encompass a series of intensive personality and capacity-building workshops, as well as a mentorship programme to provide positive role models toward which orphans can aspire. 

As part of TechWomen’s exchange programme, the five women received three-week project-based internship placements at leading companies Twitter, Fitbit, Unity, and LinkedIn in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The women told Her Majesty that the internship experiences had a tremendous personal impact on their confidence and entrepreneurial skills, encouraging them to develop new business ideas and partnerships after returning to Jordan. They also described how their experiences in the US had emboldened them to fight stereotypes about Arabs and correct misconceptions about Islam. 

Aiming to empower, connect, and support emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, TechWomen is a US based mentorship and exchange programme. 

During TechWomen 2017, participants from around the world engaged in development workshops and mentorships. 

AMMAN — The relationship between tourism and sustainable growth was the focus of a  regional conference that began in Amman on Monday.

Titled “Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA]: Competitiveness for Sustainable Growth”, the two-day meeting aims at developing sustainable urban tourism in the region.

Deputising for Prime Minister Hani Mulki, Tourism Minister Lina Annab said: “We are gathered to discuss the global trend of urbanisation and its impact on cities and tourism and their competitiveness for sustainable growth.”

The conference comes as part of the activities of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism to reflect the Global Sustainable Development Goals 2030, according to the organisers.

The first day of the event saw the attendance of Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai, officials and experts in the field, in addition to businesspeople from the sector.

“Today, over 55 per cent of the world population live in cities, and this growth is accelerating. As we become more urban, the importance of cities will undoubtedly increase,” Annab noted.

“As we look at developing tourism in our cities, mainly Amman, in a competitive and sustainable way, we should ensure that this is not done in isolation, and that this development is part of a wider community connected through viable infrastructure and effective transport links,” she added.

She stressed that “the more citizens feel engaged with their city, the more they feel collectively responsible for it.”

The two-day conference aims at ensuring integration of policymaking, legislative frameworks and effective management among all stakeholders in developing sustainable urban tourism in the MENA region cities, according to an organisers’ statement.

It also aims at improving transparency, knowledge, accessibility, expertise and creativity as essential tools to compete in the era of knowledge economy in different parts of the region, the statement said.

Shawarbeh highlighted tourism as a pillar for economic growth in the cities within a comprehensive approach. 

“We look forward to increasing the numbers of tourists in the cities of the Middle East in the upcoming years, and we value our extensive partnership with the Tourism Ministry, the private sector and the civil society institutions in this field, as they have helped us develop touristic sites in Amman, like the Hashemite Square in downtown,” the mayor said.

For his part, UNWTO secretary general said: “Travel and tourism have become a global force and a cornerstone of major transformations.”

He noted that travel and tourism have also become integral parts of major global challenges including climate change, migration, employment, safety and security, among others.

“In 2016, there were 1,235 million travellers who crossed international borders,” Rifai said, adding “that is almost one sixth of the world population going on an international trip every year. While doing so, they are bringing tremendous benefits to communities, economies and societies.”

“Travel and tourism are the third largest exporting industry in the world after chemicals and fuels,” he said, noting that UNWTO’s long-term forecasts show that there will be 1.8 billion international travellers by the year 2030.

BONN — A video produced for the Ministry of Environment that urges for cleaner seas and oceans was featured at the Oceans Action Day at the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP 23).

The video, titled “One Dead Sea is Enough”, warns against the impacts of pollution and littering on marine ecosystems, highlighting the important role of seas and oceans in regulating the climate and stressing its fundamental role as the world’s largest carbon sink.

The video is part of an initiative announced by Minister of Environment Yaseen Khayyat last week at the World Science Forum held at the Dead Sea, with the aim of advocating for cleaner seas by curbing pollution and littering.

At the COP 23 Oceans Action Day, which was held on Saturday, a new declaration was announced to strengthen the global response to climate change as it impacts oceans.

During a session held to mark the Ocean Action Day, several international speakers discussed the pressing issue. 

Biliana Cicin-Sain, president of the Global Ocean Forum said that although oceans are important for the planet’s survival and offer innovative opportunities for low-carbon blue economy, they have been discussed and handled very little at the UN climate negotiations so far.

The “Because the Ocean” declaration at the UN Climate Change Conference is backed by the launch of the Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action report, according to a statement issued by the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.

Panelists at the event discussed how economic development based on ocean-based “blue economies” provides a way forward for sustainable economic development of coastal and island countries.

They also outlined concrete proposals and solutions addressing the threats which Small Island Developing States are facing in the face of climate change, ocean acidification and rising sea level.