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AMMAN — A programme to train women to become public sector leaders, organised by the Public Sector Development Ministry, has resulted in various recommendations, a ministry statement said Wednesday.

The recommendations include holding a meeting that showcases success stories that reflect the experiences of those who participated in the programme and implementing the training in the northern and southern regions to enable public sector employees in governorates to be part of the programme, according to the ministry’s spokesperson, Saad Aamur.

He said the ministry is planning to implement the programme in 2016, in cooperation with the USAID Takamol Gender Programme and the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

AMMAN — Representatives of regional countries convened on Wednesday in Amman in a bid to identify the best field-tested survivor-centred practices that must be applied for efficient refugee protection systems.

They are attending a conference titled "Strengthening National Protection Systems in Refugee Settings: Principle and Practice", which commenced on Wednesday under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania. 

During the two-day gathering, held by the UNHCR, the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) and the Public Security Department (PSD), 60 representatives of governments and NGOs are examining ways to "reinforce national protection systems and services provided by government and civil society organisations to protect refugee women and children", deemed the most vulnerable for exploitation, abuse and violence.

With forced displacement and migration likely to become the defining issue of the current century, regional countries should develop mechanisms that better enhance the protection of refugees, participants said.

"We are in a stage in world history where we have never seen this number of refugees," said UNHCR Representative to Jordan Andrew Harper.   

"I am pleased that this is a regional conference, because the issues we are discussing transcend boundaries… the issues that we are discussing now will have ramifications in the years to come," he added.  

The UN official commended the "generosity" of regional countries in hosting refugees. 

"The positive thing about a refugee in the Middle East is that they do not have to rely on international instruments. They [regional states] have a culture, tradition and basis for generosity which are lacking in the rest of the world," Harper said. 

He noted that there are around 4.3 million Syrian refugees in the region, mostly women and children. 

The UN official cited family separation, exploitation, child labour, early marriages and domestic violence as the main challenges facing the refugee community.

Participants at the conference are also working to develop a set of operational recommendations for further consideration at the national level by participating counties, with a view to strengthening the quality and sustainability of the protection of refugees in the Middle East.

PSD acting director Maj. Gen. Tahseen Momani highlighted efforts by the Kingdom to provide best services for the refugees, citing the department's establishment of a directorate specialised in their affairs. 

He said Jordan will present its experience in protecting victims of violence, sexual abuse and exploitation among refugees.

NCFA Secretary General Fadel Hmoud highlighted the council's endeavours to ensure society's condemnation of violence.

"The gathering will acquaint regional countries with best practices in offering psychosocial services and healthcare to refugees," he said during the opening of the conference, attended by acting Social Development Minister and Minister of Culture Lana Mamkegh on behalf of Queen Rania. 

Established in 2001 and headed by Her Majesty, NCFA is a civil society umbrella organisation that supports, coordinates and facilitates the work of its partners and relevant institutions involved and influential in the field of family affairs.

It acts as a national policy think tank, a coordinating and monitoring body, and an advocacy group for family issues.

AMMAN — At a simple mobile phone repair shop at the Zaatari Refugee Camp, Maamoun Wadi helps his fellow Syrian refugees preserve their memories of home and their hopes for a better future.

By restoring photos and videos of happier times captured with their smartphones back in Syria, Wadi, a father of five who fled from Daraa to the Kingdom in 2013, is able to preserve the only link his compatriots still have to their hometowns, particularly after he introduced a coloured photo printer to the camp for the first time. 

Not until then were his clients able to transform images on their phones' memory chips into photographs of their family members with which to decorate the walls of their trailers.

Wadi's struggle for survival as one of some 80,000 refugees at Zaatari camp and 59.5 million refugees and displaced individuals worldwide is depicted in the "District Zero" documentary, screened Tuesday evening as part of the sixth Karama Human Rights Film Festival, which concludes its main activities on Thursday. 

"It is a film that depicts up to 90 per cent of our everyday lives at Zaatari," Wadi said.

Another main character in the documentary, Karim Jasir, cited smartphones as the only means for refugees to remain in touch with their family members in Syria and those who have fled to other countries.     

The 2015 production follows the daily routines and experiences of Syrian refugees, which the film’s co-director, Pablo Tosco, sees as similar to the experiences of refugees in all camps regardless of the country.

He stressed the importance of the film in highlighting the plight of Syrian refugees to the international community.

Produced by Oxfam and the humanitarian aid department of the European Commission, and filmed over a period of four months, the documentary seeks to enhance awareness of the vitally important role humanitarian aid plays in the lives of tens of millions of people.

AMMAN — The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has uplisted the turtle dove, a migratory bird widely sought after by hunters, to vulnerable under its Red List of Threatened Species.

The uplisting from the least concern category to the vulnerable category is due to a rapid decline in the population of turtle doves in much of its European range, whilst in Russia and Central Asia it is thought to have experienced more severe declines, according to the IUCN Red List website.

The loss of foraging and nesting sites as well as disease and hunting along its migration routes are among the main factors causing the decline in the turtle dove population, according to the IUCN Red List, which evaluates the conservation status of plant and animal species globally.

The IUCN suggested several conservation actions for the bird species, including the management of its breeding and staging habitats and placing restrictions on hunting.

Abdul Razzaq Hmoud, director of the conservation and hunting regulation section at the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), said that starting next year, hunting of turtle doves will no longer be permitted.

The RSCN announces every year a hunting schedule for bird species which is based on field studies assessing their population and status. The society usually announces the opening of the hunting season of turtle doves among other birds in June and closes it in September.

"Turtle doves were announced as a vulnerable species at the end of the hunting season; therefore, the society will start informing hunters that it is no longer allowed to hunt this bird species," Hmoud told The Jordan Times.

Adult turtle doves feed on the ground, mainly on cereal and wildflower seeds and the occasional insect, according to the IUCN, which said that the 27-29 centimetre bird returns from its wintering grounds around late April and immediately starts nesting.

"Turtle doves usually pass through Jordan in summer between the months of July and September. They are mainly spotted in the Jordan Valley and adjacent areas," Hmoud explained.

The RSCN urged hunters to abide by its regulations to sustain hunting activities in the country and preserve wild birds and animals.

Under the society's regulations, those who hunt outside the allotted period are fined JD100 and sentenced to one week in prison, while those who kill endangered species, such as falcons, are fined JD2,000 and handed four-month prison terms.

In addition, violators’ weapons are seized, according to the RSCN.

The location of hunting activities changes according to the season, with hunters mainly active in the Jordan Valley, mountainous areas and the Eastern Badia, according to the society.

In 1973, the government gave the RSCN, an independent nonprofit NGO, a mandate to regulate hunting and protect the Kingdom’s wildlife.

Between August and December, the society renewed and issued 1,600 hunting licences, Hmoud highlighted. 

AMMAN — The General Secondary Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) will be held once every academic year, starting from 2016-17, under a recent decision by the Education Council. The Education Ministry will make the necessary arrangements to implement the decision, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.

The council also decided to include Jordan's history as a mandatory course for all academic streams in the 11th and 12th grades to replace the "general culture" course as of the next scholastic year. The decisions are in line with the recommendation of the Educational Development Conference held earlier this year, according to Petra. 

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal on Wednesday met with Chief-of-Staff of the US Air Force Gen. Mark Welsh, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Discussions covered means to enhance military and defence cooperation and coordination.

AMMAN — Border Guards received 164 Syrian refugees during the past 24 hours and sent them to shelters and camps, an army source said Wednesday.

Royal Medical Services cadres treated the ill and injured, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), visited the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB).

He was briefed on the projects the centre is carrying out, which will be displayed at the Special Operations Forces Exhibition 2016.

The King, accompanied by the army's chief, toured KADDB design and development area and was acquainted with the bureau’s products of armoured machinery, and terrorism combat and speedy intervention mechanisms as well as  smart systems designed at the centre that serve the army's various tasks, a Royal Court statement said. 

The King was also briefed on the facility’s drone design projects and light arms projects, in addition to the amendments that the centre introduced to the army’s machinery.  

At the end of the visit, King Abdullah commended the distinguished level of the centre’s development and design operations. 

KADDB is an independent government entity within the JAF, aspiring to become a global defence and security research and development hub in the region, according to its website.

The bureau’s scope of work includes defence design and development, tests and evaluations, technology incubation in the Kingdom and defense technology training.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Tuesday forming the Board of Trustees of the Crown Prince Foundation, which seeks to empower youth. 

On his Instagram post, HRH Prince Hussein said the foundation represents the launch of "a platform that supports and empowers youth, builds their capacity, and develops their skills to contribute to the betterment of our Jordan".

"Our strength lies in our people," the Prince noted. 

Under the Royal Decree, the board members of the foundation, chaired by HRH Prince Hussein, will comprise Wajih Musa Owais, Omar Al Wer, Nidaa Maani, Duha Abdul Khaleg, Samih Toukan and Nabil Kamal. 

The foundation will support voluntary, social and charitable efforts in the Kingdom.
It will carry out its mission through supporting local communities and developing the talents of young people, improving their living conditions and enhancing their role in development projects.

The foundation also seeks to boost comprehensive development in the various governorates.

The foundation reflects HRH Crown Prince Hussein’s commitment to following up on various issues of young Jordanians, as he is always stressing that they should be given a role within the community and that they benefit from education and economic opportunities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.  

The Prince has launched several initiatives to empower young Jordanian in light of his belief in their capabilities.  

These include “Haqiq”, “Achieve” in English, a youth volunteerism programme the Prince founded in 2013.

Last year, the Crown Prince also launched the “Hearing without Borders” programme, with a vision to make Jordan free from hearing disabilities and help deaf children across the Kingdom. 

To date, the programme has helped around 500 children with hearing disabilities. The Crown Prince’s initiatives also include “Qusai”, which is aimed at training and certifying sports therapists.

The Prince shows a special interest in youth education and training, and through connecting with NASA’s Ames Research Centre, several Jordanians will have the chance to receive training there, as part of an initiative launched by HRH Crown Prince Hussein last year.

AMMAN — Jordan will continue its open border policy, giving priority to the entry of women and children refugees from Syria, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Tuesday. 

Commenting on a UN statement that 12,000 Syrian refugees were stranded at the border in "deteriorating humanitarian conditions", Momani told The Jordan Times that the number was "exaggerated", stressing that the Kingdom receives refugees on a daily basis.

"Jordan is a sovereign state. We have legitimate security concerns," he added, stressing that the Kingdom performs security checks on refugee arrivals.

What Jordan has done to serve Syrian refugees has not been matched elsewhere in the world, Momani noted.

"We have 1.4 million Syrian refugees and we don't need to prove our record in this regard," he added, stressing that the international community's support merely covers 38 per cent of the cost of hosting refugees.

The UN says the stranded Syrians are fleeing escalating air strikes on their battered homeland as well as punishments imposed on civilians by Daesh militants in the north, including forced marriages, beheadings and floggings, according to Reuters.

The number of refugees at the remote northeastern border with Jordan, where many are gathering near an earthen wall, has jumped to 12,000 from 4,000 in recent weeks, the UNHCR said.

A Human Rights Watch (HRW) statement said aid workers “with close knowledge of the situation” say the vast majority of the people in the area are women and children who urgently need more food, water, and medical assistance.

Aid workers and two Jordanian relief officials attributed the sudden rise in refugees at the border to Russian bombing of Daesh-controlled areas in eastern Homs, such as Palmyra, as well as in Raqqa province and city, according to Reuters.

“[The group] includes elderly people, it includes people who are sick and wounded, it includes children, women and others who are vulnerable and really need help,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a briefing in Geneva.

Respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and skin diseases such as scabies have been reported. There are signs of acute malnutrition among children and outbreaks of diarrhoea.

The UNHCR is appealing to Jordan to allow in the most vulnerable cases, Fleming said, acknowledging that the Kingdom hosts some 632,228 Syrian refugees, severely straining its infrastructure and economy.

She said Jordan had legitimate security concerns but those could be addressed by properly assessing each case, and UNHCR was prepared to upgrade security of the registration area at the Azraq camp to allow for comprehensive screening.

HRW said a satellite image of the border area taken the morning of December 5 revealed more than 1,450 tent structures, indicating the likely presence of thousands of Syrians.