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AMMAN — Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury on Monday met with representatives of international donors to review the role of the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) and discuss its future plans, according to a ministry statement.

During the meeting, attended by NCFA Secretary General Fadel Hmoud, Fakhoury highlighted the council as an independent institution that works on protecting families, especially in light of the repercussions Jordan is witnessing as a result of the Syrian refugee crisis, which led to increasing social needs.

The influx of refugees, Fakhoury noted,  has led to social setbacks that the Kingdom has always worked to improve in order to achieve a respectful life for Jordanians in accordance with international standards.

The planning minister also highlighted the Kingdom’s role in hosting a “huge” number of refugees which therefore requires supporting Jordan’s efforts to limit the effects of the crisis and contribute to the security of Europe and lessen the burden on it as well.

He said not supporting the Kingdom’s efforts will lead to spreading the effects of the crisis outside the region, which in turn will increase financial and social costs.

Moreover, he noted that this can be avoided by providing necessary support for local institutions and hosting communities, and considering Jordan as the first line of defence not only for the Middle East but for the whole world.

Fakhoury underlined the illegal immigration waves witnessed by Europe and said that Jordan receives in only one or two days what certain countries receive in a year.

Jordan appreciates the support it has received, Fakhoury said, noting it is clear that the Kingdom needs continuous support to cope with the increasing demands on services, especially in hosting communities.

The 2015 Jordan Response Plan includes a whole chapter on social protection to enable vulnerable segments affected by the crisis to receive services that sustain levels of safety, particularly in the governorates most affected by the crisis, according to Fakhoury.

Moreover, he said $388.6 million was estimated as what the social sector needs and only $44 million has been secured, which shows even more the importance of increasing efforts from the international community to shoulder its responsibility towards refugees and hosting communities.

To this end, Fakhoury urged the international community to perform its role through development aid and programmes concerned with social care and protection as part of enhancing Jordan’s role.

Hmoud thanked the Planning Ministry for hosting the meeting and offered a presentation on NCFA’s goals and process of work.

Representatives of international organisations and donor countries commended the council’s achievements and voiced readiness to support it, agreeing that there will be meetings between them and members of the council to find a way to implement its visions and goals, the statement said.

Established in 2001 and headed by Her Majesty Queen Rania, NCFA is a civil society umbrella organisation that supports, coordinates and facilitates the work of its partners and relevant institutions that are 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 —Border Guards foiled on Monday an infiltration attempt by three people to cross the borders from Syria into the Kingdom, as an informed sourced from the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) said.

The guards responded to the situation in line with the rules of engagement followed in such cases, which resulted in the infiltrators’ escape towards Syrian territory.

In the same incident, the guards seized two million Captagon pills which were referred to specialised authorities, the JAF source added.

AMMAN — The labour market still discriminates against women, with legislation or conditions that often force them to quit earlier than they normally would, experts said on Monday.

According to a study on Jordanian women withdrawing from the labour market, based on Social Security Corporation (SSC) data, 50 per cent of women who left their jobs between 2008 and 2013 were aged between 25 and 34. Of these, 78 per cent were already married, and only about one-third had been married for less than two years.

During a ceremony held by the Higher Population Council (HPC) and UNFPA to announce the outcome of the study, HRH Princess Basma, UNFPA goodwill ambassador, underlined the need to address imbalances that affect women’s participation in the labour market.

On average, only 14 to 15 per cent have been part of the labour market for the past years.

Princess Basma called for supporting individual initiatives that have “real” and “direct” effect on people’s lives.

“I cannot stress more the importance of joint efforts in improving the economic participation of women… There is a wide gender gap in the labour market,” said the princess. 

The study, based on a sample of 600 women from the northern, central and southern regions, showed that 86 per cent of those who left work during the period in question were employed in the private sector, compared to only 9 per cent in the public sector.

“This is a very dangerous indicator. We can say that the problem of women’s withdrawal from the labour market lies in the private sector,” said Mohammad Tarawneh, head of the team who conducted the study.

Of those who left work, 44 per cent were receiving “very low” wages (less than JD200 a month), which could very well be a reason for quitting work.

The survey showed that 34 per cent of the women who left their jobs attributed their decision to “family circumstances”, while 11 per cent to the “burden/responsibility of having children”.

Moreover, 9 per cent said they left the job because they got married, 7 per cent were “fired by the employer”, 6 per cent due to “bad treatment at work”, 6 per cent because of the “low wages” and 6 per cent due to emigration.

More than 54 per cent of the women surveyed said they used to depend on family members (mainly parents) to take care of their children while at work, compared to 22 per cent who relied on childcare facilities.

Participants at the ceremony where the report  was presented called for activating Article 72 of the Labour Law, which obligates companies that have 20 or more women employees with a total of 10 children under the age of four to provide an adequate daycare centre supervised by trained personnel.

Analysis of data on social security contributors and retirees available from the SSC, reveals that of the women who left work during 2008-2013, 30 to 40 per cent preferred a lump sum of money instead of waiting for the monthly benefits of retirees.

As a result, although 26 per cent of the contributors to the SSC pension scheme were women, only 21 per cent were qualified to receive monthly pensions, according to the study. 

Labour Minister Nidal Katamine said the results of the study were “very alarming”, noting that women’s overall participation in the labour market in the country stands at 12.6 per cent.

He presented the projects implemented by the ministry to improve the employability of women, including the establishment of 60 factories in more than 15 remote and poverty pocket areas that have so far employed 3,400 women.

HPC Secretary General Sawsan Majali said the percentage of employed women has been constant in Jordan during the last decade, while the global average reached 50 per cent.

“Regulations should be revisited to create flexible work environments that suit women and accommodate their needs,” she stressed.

“It is true that Jordan has made tremendous strides in improving gender equality in the past decade, but more can be done to increase women’s participation in the labour market. There is no shortage of talented, capable Jordanian women in all sectors,” said UNFPA Jordan Country Director Dan Baker.

AMMAN — The Arab Administrative Development Organisation (ARADO) will hold in Amman the 14th Arab Conference for Modern Trends in Hospital Management from December 6 to 8, 2015, as an ARADO statement released Monday.

ARADO Director General Nasser Ali Alqahtani said healthcare management is one of the most important sectors that benefits Arabs and it significantly reflects on others; he highlighted the importance of the partnerships between public and private sectors in sustaining healthcare services.

Alqahtani invited all Arab health institutions to showcase their experiences and share their expertise at the conference.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Monday received a copy of a report that is prepared annually by Al Rai Centre for Studies, titled: “Jordan in a year”, which features a comprehensive review of the performance of different government institutions in 2014. 

The report presents in-depth readings of the problems and challenges facing the Kingdom at the political level, both internally and externally, as well as at the economic and social levels, shedding light on the relation between the government and the community.

It also deals with the state of the media and education in Jordan, especially in 2014. 

In its fourth edition, issued this year, the report makes an attempt at analysing the impact of developments at the Arab, regional and global levels and their repercussions on Jordan.  It also puts forward proposals that can help bring about desired change. 

The report was handed to the premier by Chairman of the Jordan Press Foundation (Al Rai) Ramadan Rawashdeh, in the presence of Al Rai’s Chief Editor Tareq Momani, and the newspaper’s director general, Farid Silwani. 

At the meeting, Ensour commended the report and Al Rai’s efforts, highlighting its importance for decision makers,  according to Petra. 

The JPF, which houses Al Rai Studies Centre, is the publisher of Al Rai and The Jordan Times daily newspapers. 

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday met with a group of fourteen students from Coventry University who participated in the Changing Lives Programme’s 6th round.

The students, who came from the UK, Sweden, Romania and the Netherlands, briefed Her Majesty about the activities they conducted under the Madrasati Initiative during their stay in Jordan.

In attendance were also Majid AlSadi, chairman and CEO of Eastern Holding, Coventry University representatives, Brendan St John, Coventry Changing Lives Project Manager and Ateya Asghar, Coventry employer engagement officer.

During their work with Madrasati, the students provided English language support, music and art activities, as well as debate sessions and others.

Madrasati brings together public, private and nonprofit partners in a grass-roots initiative to renovate public schools in urgent need of repair.

Led by Queen Rania, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Madrasati seeks to enrich learning environments and enhance opportunities for schoolchildren in Jordan and the Arab world.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments with French Senator and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Josette Durrieu.

During the meeting, which was attended by Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, the King stressed the importance of enhancing joint parliamentary cooperation in addition to Jordanian Parliament’s request of a partner for democracy status with PACE, a Royal Court statement said.

The latest regional developments, especially in Syria, were also discussed as well as international efforts to eradicate terrorism. The meeting was also attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and MP Mustafa Hamarneh.

Also on Monday, Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh met with Durrieu and discussed relations between PACE and Jordan.

AMMAN — A Royal Decree was issued on Monday accepting the resignation of Munther Haddadin from his post as chairman of the board of directors of the National Resources Investment and Development Corporation (Mawared).

A second Royal Decree was issued appointing Bisher Jardaneh as  chairman of Mawared’s board, effective immediately. Another Royal Decree was also issued accepting the resignation of Muhannad Qudah from the membership of Mawared’s board of directors.

A Royal Decree was also issued appointing Amer Hadidi to the developer’s board.

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday expressed sympathies over the fall of five Saudi army men during clashes in the Najran region on the border of war-hit Yemen.

Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani expressed Jordan’s support of Saudi Arabia, extending condolences to the Saudi government and people. 

AMMAN — A three-year old child died on Monday in a traffic accident in Amman. East Amman Civil Defence Department (CDD) personnel rushed to the location and administered first aid before transferring her to Tutanji Public Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

In another accident, four people were injured in a two-vehicle collision on Petra Street in Irbid. Irbid CDD teams administered first aid to the injured and transferred them to King Abdullah I Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition.

Meanwhile, Madaba CDD firefighters extinguished a fire in perennial trees and dry grass that extended over a 30-dunum area without resulting in any injuries.