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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday attended a ceremony to announce the winners of the 2014/2015 edition of the King Abdullah II Awards for Excellence in the public and private sectors, including business associations and non-profit organisations.

King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence (KACE), which was established 10 years ago, organised the ceremony at Al Hussein Youth City’s Cultural Palace, a Royal Court statement said.

Before the ceremony, His Majesty toured an exhibition that showcases memorials for each award and was briefed by KACE Executive Director Yasera Ghosheh on the development of the award, its categories and the number of institutions taking part in the competitions since the establishment of the centre.

During the event, attended by HRH Prince Feisal, who chairs KACE’s board of trustees, the King presented the awards to winning ministries, institutions and individuals, which include the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence for the Private Sector and King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, vice chairperson of the board of trustees of KACE, said the centre started offering only one award but has expanded the scope of recognition to currently administer eight awards.

He said that public institutions that cannot participate because of the nature of their work are helped by the centre to carry out a “self-evaluation”. 

However, Tarawneh said that improvement is still not satisfactory in general “because some government agencies participate in the awards just for the sake of winning, rather than achieving actual improvements and development, which is the very reason behind creating the awards”. 

Although Jordan is facing many challenges ensuing from the terrorism threat, refugee burden and the harsh financial conditions, all that does not justify failure in providing the best services to the public, Tarawneh said. 

During the current cycle, it took 73 days to evaluate and select winners, a process that involved 188 assessors and 15 judges.

Moreover, 115 ministry and public institution took part in this year’s edition, while 215 candidates ran for the Distinguished Government Employee Award.

Ministries that won the King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency include: The Education Ministry in the category of large ministries, the ICT Ministry and the Planning and International Cooperation Ministry in the category of small and medium-sized ministries.

Institutions that participated in previous cycles and won the award again include: the Water Authority of Jordan, the Passport and Civil Status Department, the Development and Employment Fund and the Royal Medical Services. 

As for winning institutions that participated for the first time, they include: Rangers, the centre of command and control and the highway patrols directorate, which are all affiliated with the Public Security Department. 

The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and senior officers and officials. 

Founded in January 2006, KACE seeks to promote the culture of excellence in public and private sector entities to increase Jordan’s international competitiveness.

AMMAN — The government on Wednesday criticised as inaccurate and nonobjective a report by Amnesty International, in which the watchdog claimed that Syrian refugees in Jordan are denied access to critical health services.

“The report lacks accuracy and objectivity. It is clear that it relied on views of some biased activists and researchers who are supporting a certain stand,” Jordan’s Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

“Clearly, those who drafted the report have not visited our healthcare centres that are frequented by crowds of Syrians… Jordan is giving to the Syrians more than any country in the world has done, including medical care… This is a truth that is only denied by someone who is ungrateful,” said the minister.

In its report “Living on the margins: Syrian refugees struggle to access healthcare in Jordan”, Amnesty International claimed that the “combination of grossly inadequate support from the international community and barriers imposed by the government of Jordan are leaving Syrian refugees unable to access healthcare and other vital services”.

Citing three Syrian women who had recently given birth at an NGO hospital in Irbid, Amnesty International said they claimed that the women had delayed crucial antenatal check-ups because they could not afford public hospital fees and transport costs.

Amnesty International said it has gathered information from humanitarian workers and family members of Syrian refugees with critical injuries that were denied entry to Jordan for medical care, which it said suggested that the exceptional criteria for entry on emergency medical grounds is inconsistently applied.

In the report, Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Head of Refugee and Migrants’ Rights at Amnesty International, claimed that Jordan closed the borders in the face of Syrian refugees, saying: “Closing the border to those in need of asylum, whether or not they are injured, is a violation of Jordan’s international obligations”.

Officials in Jordan, which is home to around 1.3 million Syrian refugees, have repeatedly stressed that the borders will remain open for the influx of Syrians fleeing the violence in their country, seeking a safe haven in Jordan, but a vetting process will remain in place.

The Jordanian healthcare system has come under pressure in terms of finances and service capacity, a report by US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 2015, indicated.

Citing the Ministry of Health, the number of Syrian outpatient visits to primary care centres increased from 68 in January 2012 to 15,975 in March 2013. The number of Syrian refugee admissions to government hospitals also increased from 300 to 10,330 over that period. 

“As a result of capacity burdens, Jordanians have been increasingly directed to private centres and hospitals to receive care. Thus, for some citizens, the influx of Syrian refugees has rendered healthcare less accessible and more expensive,” the report by the US think tank indicated. 

Last week, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said the Syrian crisis has cost Jordan over $7 billion since 2011.   

AMMAN — Jordan is still negotiating with the World Bank to obtain hundreds of millions in loans for the upcoming 12 to 18 months, Imad Fakhoury, minister of Planning and International Cooperation, said.

Fakhoury explained that the amount Jordan is negotiating is not decided yet, but it might reach $500 million to cover 12 to 18 months.

In response to a question by The Jordan Times on the sidelines of a press conference held on Tuesday, the minister noted that this loan is part of the new strategy that the World Bank will follow in dealing with the “upper-middle” income countries like Jordan and Lebanon that have been affected with the regional crises.

“Obtaining loans with low interest for countries with this classification is the outcome of Jordan’s pursuit of the change in the rules of lending made in 2014 and 2015,” Fakhoury said, adding that the World Bank has already announced $100 million in direct concessional financing to create jobs and increase access to education in Jordan. The same amount has been approved to Lebanon, according to the minister.

However, he said, a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that will take place this April in Washington will present details of the news support initiative. Representatives of donors will also attend the meeting.

The initiative was announced at a similar meeting in Lima, Peru, last October, and it seeks to scale up financing in the MENA region to help countries hosting significant refugee populations, and those impacted by conflict, as well as nations that have significant investment needs to achieve economic recovery. 

Early next week and prior to April’s meeting, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit Jordan.

“The joint visit aims to communicate the international community’s commitment to supporting the region as it copes with the consequences of conflict and instability, and to strengthen the growing inter-organisation partnerships,” said a World Bank statement.

During their visit to Jordan, which hosts more than 1.2 million Syrian refugees, Kim and Ki-moon will visit refugees and host communities. 

“The visit will also focus on addressing widespread youth unemployment through improving the quality and relevance of education, and promoting economic empowerment and opportunities,” according to the World Bank’s statement.

AMMAN – The “fittest” daily newspapers in Jordan are likely to survive for at least a decade, because readers still prefer to consume content via print, experts in the industry said Wednesday. 

In interviews with The Jordan Times, the pundits said that the steady rise of digital technology as the adoption of smartphones in the Kingdom, is not to blame for the current financial crises facing some newspapers as most of the troubles are related to "unsound management” over the past few years. 

They agreed that the future of the industry will be for the electronic model as most newspapers will take the digital form but will continue to print.

In Jordan, there are seven daily newspapers, according to the Jordan Press Association. In 2015, Al Arab Al Yawm that used to employ around 120 journalists and workers closed down, succumbing to its financial crisis. 

Al Rai, Jordan's largest newspaper, has been incurring financial losses of about JD2 million a year in recent years, while the Kingdom's oldest daily Ad-Dustour is heavily indebted and was forced to reduce of its staff members from around 500 employees to only 170 due to continued losses. 

Jordan Media Institute Dean Basim Tweissi said the difficulties facing print media in Jordan are not similar to those the international newspapers are struggling with, as the main reasons that caused their current decline in revenues have to do with self-made mistakes related to poor management and bad governance. 

"We have to ask about the way dailies have been managed over the past years," he said, adding that in order to survive newspapers have to invest in their websites. 

For the coming years, Tweisi expected some newspapers to go out of business, but new print outlets may emerge. 

Jawad Anani, chairman of Ad-Dustour daily, agreed that print media will not disappear soon in Jordan as people still prefer paper over phones and tablets, but stressed that the industry has to improve the content and also has to redefine its products by investing in online versions and should launch their radio stations to generate higher revenues. 

“When the cinema was invented people said theatres would be doomed, and when the television was invented, they said the cinema would die,” Anani said, adding that some newspapers in Jordan will “of course” fall during the coming decade because they will not be able to survive the competition.  

Commenting on the recent decision by prominent Lebanese newspapers As-Safir and An-Nahar to stop printing and go online only, Anani said that there are a large number of dailies in Lebanon, adding that most of them have usually relied on funding from outside the country, but things have changed in that regard. 

Ramadan Rawashdeh, chairman of the Jordan Press Foundation (JPF) that publishes Al Rai and The Jordan Times said the reason for the deteriorating financial conditions of newspapers is mainly because of administrative mistakes by managements over the past years. 

“For example, Al Rai’s financial troubles today are related to unfeasible projects by previous administrations,” he said, citing the commercial print press project that cost the foundation over JD40 million. 

“Some newspapers will close down in the coming years because they will not be able to come up with revenue-generating investments,” Rawashdeh said, adding other newspapers will continue to print and make profits as Jordanian readers still prefer paper. 

However, the JPF chairman said dailies should work more on their digital versions because it is the future, indicating plans to launch a new website for Al Rai and also to start a news channel to reach a larger audience and generate higher revenues from ads. 

Issam Al Mousa, a professor of media at Philadelphia University, said a declining demand for newspapers is already a fact, adding that only the fittest newspapers will survive. 

“I don’t believe that print media will disappear in Jordan or the world anytime soon,” Mousa said, adding that he expects at least three newspapers to continue to exist in the local scene this decade. 

“There are some newspapers that are deep-rooted in the Jordanian society,” he said, adding that older generation will remain loyal to paper editions for long years to come. 

Mousa said that print media in Jordan can still make more revenues from ads than online, adding even if some dailies decide to go online only, ads will not be enough to keep it going. 

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday granted gas exploration rights in Risheh field and eastern Safawi in the northeastern desert to APG International through a joint-production agreement between the company and the state-owned National Petroleum Company (NPC) and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

APG, a specialised company in petroleum and gas exploration, is expected to increase gas production, especially in the Risheh field, in a way that enhances the government's approach of diversifying energy sources and increasing reliance on gas in several sectors to lower the energy bill and production costs.

Granting the exploration rights to APG comes in line with the government's plans to allow specialised companies to explore and utilise local energy resources, while not incur any financial dues under the agreement, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif said that regarding the Risheh field, a joint-production agreement will be signed with APG if it succeeds in increasing production from its current daily level of 13 million cubic metres (mcm) to 50mcm a day. 

According to recent remarks by NPC Chairman Qutaiba Abu Qura, the company’s revenues from selling gas in 2015 reached JD6.1 million, compared with JD6.5 million the year before. 

In 2014, British Petroleum ended its gas exploration operation in Jordan after unsatisfactory results on its second well in the country.

Saif also said APG pledged to spend some $25 million in the first year of developing the Risheh field and increasing its production levels, Petra added.

He noted that once production levels reach 300mcm, an agreement will be signed to guarantee the company will retrieve the costs it has spent and to distribute revenues of the gas, which will be sold on the local market or used in electricity generation or industrial sectors.

As for the eastern Safawi agreement with the same company, Saif said it aims at exploring gas in the area, adding that the company should prepare a time schedule for the exploration process and acquaint NPC and the Energy Ministry with this schedule, according to Petra.

AMMAN — Russia will support Jordan’s request to join the free trade agreement of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, under a cooperation protocol the Jordanian-Russian ministerial committee signed Wednesday.  

This move seeks to boost Jordan’s commercial, economic and industrial cooperation with member states — Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — and is aimed at attracting investments and projects to Jordan.

Signed by Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachyov, who is chairing the Russian delegation, the protocol seeks to enhance cooperation in 10 different sectors.

It is the outcome of the committee’s third meeting, which took place in Amman on Monday and Tuesday and was attended by several senior officials and representatives of the private sector in the two countries.

Speaking to the press, Fakhoury highlighted the “effective” participation of the private sector in the meetings, stressing the need to sustain committee meetings in order to further enhance cooperation in the future.

The protocol will facilitate technical cooperation between the Russian Fund for Direct Investments and the Jordan Investment Commission.

Fakhoury added that the protocol looked into enhancing Russia’s humanitarian support to Jordan in addressing the needs of Syrian refugees and host communities through financial and technical assistance.

The two sides agreed to consider providing liquefied gas to Jordan at preferred prices, as well as carrying on with cooperation to build the Kingdom’s nuclear reactor and providing the needed support.

Customs departments in the two countries will be electronically connected, which will facilitate the entry of Jordan’s agricultural exports into Russia. 

The protocol suggests creating opportunities in the field of education and vocational training, including the possibility of establishing a joint high-tech centre.

It also addresses enhancing cooperation in healthcare and water resource management.  

AMMAN — Jordan succeeded in attracting around 5,000 new Russian tourists over the past two months as a result of televised and social media promotion campaigns in the Russian language, a senior official said Wednesday.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the signing of a cooperation protocol with Russia, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, who co-chairs the Jordanian-Russian ministerial committee, said the tourism sector will be the top priority of bilateral cooperation with Russia in 2016.

He said the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) launched a promotional campaign on Russian media outlets in the country’s language in December of last year, and plans to build “powerfully” on what has been achieved so far. 

He described the Russian market as a “promising and very important” market for tourism, adding that a Jordanian delegation from the JTB and 10 private tour operators are participating in the biggest tourism exhibition in Russia.

Fakhoury cited the government incentives given to the tourism sector in mid-last year as a major contributor to enhancing promotional campaigns targeting potential visitors.

The signed protocol includes, but is not limited to, a twinning agreement between Sochi, a Russian city on the coast of the Black Sea, and Aqaba. 

Russian agriculture minister and head of the Russian delegation, Alexander Tkachyov, highlighted Jordan’s safety as a major attraction point for Russian visitors, seeing “great” potential for enhancing cooperation in the tourism sector.

He said offering competitive prices for services is a central attraction to Russian visitors, noting that Jordan provides distinguished tourism services.

AMMAN — The prices of fuel in April are expected to rise by 10 per cent, chair of the Lower House Energy Committee MP Raed Khalaileh said Wednesday.

Khalaileh said the rise in the price of crude Brent oil, which reached almost $40 a barrel on the international market, will lead to the expected increase, adding that the final percentage will be decided during a meeting of the government pricing committee by the end of March.

The price of one litre of unleaded 90-octane gasoline is likely to reach  JD0.545, while it is currently sold at JD0.495; a litre of unleaded 95-octane gasoline is expected to cost JD0.715, instead of the current price of JD0.650. 

The prices of diesel and kerosene are expected to witness a rise that could reach JD0.352, after being sold at JD0.320 per litre this month.

The price of a 12-kilogramme gas cylinder, used for cooking and in winter for heating purposes is expected to remain  at JD7, according to Khalaileh, who added that the committee seeks to maintain the price of gas cylinder.

In March, there was no change on fuel prices after they dropped by around 4 to 11 per cent in February.

A government pricing committee meets monthly to adjust prices in a manner that corresponds to changes in oil prices on the international market.

Prices of oil derivatives in the local market are calculated based on international prices, with the addition of other costs such as shipping, handling and taxes.

Overall taxes on oil derivatives are as follows: 22 per cent on 90-octane and 40 per cent on 95-octane, while the tax is 6 per cent for all other fuel products, except for heavy oil.

All derivatives are subject to a JD0.006 stamp fee.

AMMAN — Jordanian students in Sudan continued their open-ended strike outside the Kingdom’s embassy in Khartoum on Wednesday, during which they met two lawmakers who flew to the African country to follow up on their issue.

The students have been demanding a review of a decision not to accredit secondary school certificates issued in Sudan.

More than 700 Jordanians have flown to Sudan to complete the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi), believing that the exams are easier abroad.

Earlier this week, Sudanese authorities detained a number of Jordanian students over claims that the secondary school national exam test papers were leaked and obtained by some Jordanian students.

The incident prompted the Education Ministry to announce that secondary school certificates from Sudan will not be officially accredited in Jordan.

MPs Mustafa Rawashdeh and Nayef Leimoun headed to Sudan on Tuesday evening to “closely follow up on the issue”.

“The deputies came to talk us during the strike and we explained our point of view. They then met with the ambassador, after which they told us that there are 25 Jordanians arrested in connection with the leaked exam papers,” Abdullah Sarayreh, one of the protesters, told The Jordan Times.

The 20-year-old student is among those who decided to travel to Sudan to obtain their certificates there after failing to pass the Tawjihi back home.

According to Sarayreh, Rawashdeh said a meeting with Sudanese officials is scheduled to ensure the release of students before Saturday.

“He also promised to convey our demands to the education minister,” he added.

In previous remarks, Sarayreh noted that the “difficult” curricula in Sudan prompted the majority of Jordanians to switch to the Libyan system, which comes in a multiple-choice format.

“The paper leak incident involved one Jordanian student enrolled in the Sudanese system,” he said.

In a statement received by The Jordan Times, the Jordanian embassy in Khartoum called on the Education Ministry to revisit its decision not to accredit secondary school certificates issued in Sudan, citing a large Jordanian community in the North African country.

The statement noted that the exam leak took place at a Sudanese school and that the Libyan schools are yet to start their exams.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Social Development has allocated around JD2 million in funding to local civil societies who demonstrate commitment to implementing “on-the-ground” services that reflect positively on society.

A recent advertisement by the ministry in several dailies encourages civil society organisations to submit proposals to the Civil Societies Fund “to encourage cooperation with the voluntary sector, which will encourage the public sector to be part of the decision-making process”.

“This fund has been available since 2008, and it is supported by the state budget with an allocation of around JD2 million,” the Social Development Ministry spokesperson, Fawaz Ratrout, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

The ministry official said civil society is encouraged to submit proposals and “each proposal is examined carefully”.

“The funding varies depending on the submitted proposal. It could be JD5,000 or JD30,000 and is usually given to around 500 organisations,” Ratrout said.

The ad said the funding should serve youth initiatives and poverty pocket areas, help minimise poverty and unemployment, and provide job opportunities through planned projects.

“We want to stress that this is a national Jordanian fund for our civil organisations that provide on-the-ground services to encourage them to submit pioneering projects that will make social change,” Ratrout added.

The deadline for applications is May 5, according to the advertisement in local dailies.