Day: February 27, 2023

Amman: Egyptian-Iraqi delegations on Sunday and Monday were briefed on the National Aid Fund experience in designing and implementing social protection programs.

Minister of Social Development, Wafaa Bani Mustafa, said that the goal of exchanging visits and experiences is to empower poor and vulnerable families and prioritize them in Arab governments agendas, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic and the impacts of political conflicts, noting that the Ministry of Social Development and the National Aid Fund are interested in the Egyptian and Iraqi experiences in tis field.

For her part, Director General of the National Aid Fund, Khitam Shneikat, highlighted the Fund’s efforts to reach an advanced level in providing social protection services according to the best international standards.

She undderlined the importance of these visits in exchanging experiences and benefiting from mutual experiences in addressing poverty and unemployment in an effort to reduce poverty rates, especially in light of the similar geographic and economic difficulties Arab countries face.

For his part, head of the Egyptian delegation, advisor to the Minister of Social Solidarity for support social safety nets programs and executive director of the Solidarity and Dignity Program, Raafat Shafiq, lauded Jordan’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of poor families, pointing out that the National Aid Fund efforts are considered a model to follow in reaching common policies between Arab countries in combating poverty and unemployment.

In turn, head of the Iraqi delegation, Assistant Director General of Social Protection at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Abdul Rahman Owayid Al-Mansouri, said that the Aid Fund programs enjoy an advanced level in contributing to reducing poverty rates and providing support and assistance according to the best tools used at the regional level.

For her part, Jordan Resident Representative of the World Bank Group, Holly Benner, said that Jordan has reformed and expanded the social protection system, which provides support for poor families and vulnerable workers, by adopting innovative and automated mechanisms and systems, which enabled it to overcome many challenges and reach the target groups – a challenge that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic – which turned the Jordanian social protection system into a role model in the region, through the cash support program, which includes periodic cash transfers, in addition to the temporary response to the pandemic, as it is supported by the World Bank emergency cash transfer project, which reaches 120,000 families through periodic cash support, in addition to nearly 230,000 families who benefited from the cash support provided in response to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

The World Food Program (WFP) Representative and Country Director in Jordan, Alberto Correia Mendes, lauded the effective social protection services of the National Aid Fund, stressing the WFP commitment to strengthening systems and supporting national actors seeking to eradicate poverty.

“The World Food Program will continue its support to the National Strategy for Social Protection in Jordan by providing technical assistance to the National Aid Fund in digitizing systems and strengthening institutional capacities in close collaboration with the World Bank and UNICEF,” Mendes added.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) and Export Bahrain on Monday signed an agreement with the goals of sharing knowledge and experience in the areas of private sector support, product exhibitions, and increasing trade.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the higher committee meeting of the Integrated Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development, which was held in Amman on Sunday. The signing ceremony was attended by Yousef Shamali, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, and Minister of Labor, and Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Bahraini Minister of Industry and Commerce.

Minister Shamali stressed the importance of the higher committee meeting’s outcomes, which included signing investment agreements worth more than $2 billion in sectors related to food and medicine security and electric vehicles.

The higher committee, which comprises Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates and has the door open for more countries, has established comprehensive Arab cooperation in economic fields and achieved integration in several sectors, added Shamali.

He underscored the agreement’s role in bolstering economic cooperation by increasing two-way trade.

Fakhro, for his part, emphasized the necessity of taking action to boost economic cooperation and build on the achievements of the quadripartite partnership.

The agreement will lay the foundation for extensive areas of cooperation between the two entities in order to serve the private sector and foster stronger relationships between small and medium-sized businesses, according to Abdel Fattah Kayed, Executive Director of JEDCO.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Aqaba: Aqaba Airports Company (AAC), operator of King Hussein International Airport in the southern city, Monday carried out a drill (Salam 23) featuring the evacuation of passenger terminals due to a fire outbreak.

The exercise is part of the management and safe operation plan to test the readiness of the various entities to respond to emergencies and ensure the effectiveness of the contingency plan at the airport.

This drill was designed to simulate a fire in the passenger terminal, which warrants dealing with it in accordance with evacuation procedures taken in such emergency situations, said AAC CEO and Director Ramzi Arafat, adding it does not involve any risks or disruption of flight schedules.

The exercise is part of the AAC’s endeavor to raise the capacity of airport workers and service providers and train them on the proper procedures to respond to various emergencies, he said, adding that it is in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Jordan Civil Aviation Authority instructions to conduct such drills biennially.

Such drills, which will help meet safety and security standards for travelers and aviation workers alike, are ordered by local and global aviation organizations, Arafat said, commending support agencies, security personnel and other entities for their efforts to achieve the objectives of the exercise.

AAC, which is wholly owned by the Aqaba Development Corporation, was founded to manage, operate and develop King Hussein International Airport on a commercial basis in accordance with best international practices.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Currently, Jordan generates more electricity from renewable sources than any other Arab country, and by 2030, the country hopes to have generated half of its electricity from renewables, said Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh.

The minister’s remarks were made on Monday at a discussion session organized by the EDAMA Association for Energy, Water, and Environment, in cooperation with the Energy Sector Support Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The session, attended by the CEO of Kawar Energy Company, Hanna Zaghloul, and Deloitte’s U.S. Managing Director Richard Longstaff, tackled ongoing measures and future directions to develop the energy transition roadmap in Jordan.

“The ministry’s vision is to achieve a secure and sustainable supply of energy through a clear strategy set out for the coming years, with the aim of making Jordan a regional hub for green energy, in line with the Economic Modernization Vision,” Kharabsheh added.

He indicated that Jordan is working toward energy transformation by upping the contribution of renewable energy to the overall energy mix and building a suitable infrastructure by developing the electrical grid and energy storage projects and smart grids.

“Projects to improve energy efficiency are currently underway in various sectors,” he added, pointing to a specific project for electric transportation for which a strategy and legislation are being developed.

The ministry is also working on keeping abreast of developments in the energy sector, including a strategy to set technical and legal standards to produce green hydrogen, the minister added, noting that an agreement was signed with the Fortescue Future Industries company to implement a project to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone.

Additionally, he said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Danish A.P. Moller-Maersk Company was signed regarding the production of green fossil fuels in Aqaba as part of the Kingdom’s plans to expand clean energy resources and increase local energy resources in the total energy mix by 50 percent by 2030.

Zaghloul stated that the energy transition is an opportunity for Jordan to lure in investments, create jobs in the local information technology (IT) and energy management sectors, and encourage Jordanian youth to innovate, pointing to the significance of benefiting from the integration between the telecommunications, IT and energy sectors, which opens up many promising opportunities.

“Jordan has the qualifications and good governance that qualify it to be a regional hub for green energy,” said Richard Longstaff, the Deloitte Consulting executive director, highlighting the significance of mobilizing individual efforts to accelerate and achieve the goals that were discussed at the climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, COP27.

In turn, the Chairman of the EDAMAH Board of Directors, Dureid Mahasneh, stressed the importance of the session in focusing on the energy transition in Jordan and addressing the sector’s challenges.

This comes in conjunction with the government’s recently-launched Economic Modernization Vision (2023-2033), which includes a pillar on sustainable resources that lays out a goal of “developing an enforceable energy transition roadmap (renewable energy sources, hydrocarbons, and hydrogen, etc.),” in addition to upgrading the energy infrastructure (smart energy grid, storage processing, transportation, pipelines) and enhancing mechanisms to reduce energy costs.

The vision’s Green Jordan program seeks to prop up sustainable practices as a key feature of the Kingdom’s future economic growth and the improvement of the quality of life.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The Citi Foundation (the “Foundation”) announced Monday its first-ever Global Innovation Challenge to help scale the impact of nonprofits around the world that are developing innovative solutions to improve food security.

This inaugural challenge will provide a collective $25 million to 50 organizations to support the piloting or expansion of ideas and projects that are designed to address this issue and strengthen the physical and financial health of low-income families and communities.

“Far too many families around the world face the daily struggle of not knowing when and where their next meal will come from,” said Brandee McHale, President of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing and Development.

“We understand the economic factors that contribute to this ever-growing crisis, and our goal with this RFP is to help empower diverse, mission-driven nonprofits that are pioneering game-changing, scalable solutions in their communities.”

For this RFP, the Citi Foundation will prioritize projects in four areas: Access: Support efforts that increase access to affordable and healthy food to low-income communities. Affordability: Improve food affordability through community finance efforts that help reduce the financial burden placed on low-income communities. Availability: Address challenges in the food supply chain that lead to positive community benefits, such as the creation of new jobs and businesses. Resilience: Increase the number of available resources that enable low-income communities to more effectively prepare for and respond to disruptions in food security during crises.

The deadline to register is March 22, 2023, at 4 p.m. EDT. For more information on this opportunity including the eligibility requirements and target geographies, please visit: www.citifoundation.com/challenge

Source: Jordan News Agency

Doha: The University Expo Qatar concluded in Doha on Monday with the participation of Jordanian public and private universities.

Universities from the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Switzerland, Malaysia, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, France and the UAE, in addition to Qatar, participated in the event.

The Undersecretary of the Qatari Ministry of Education, Omar Al-Nema, said that the exhibition targeted students in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades in order to prepare them for the future majors that universities provide.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Director of the Public Security Directorate (PSD) Maj. Gen. Obaidallah Maaytah on Monday US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, and her accompanying delegation.

The two sides discussed ways to bolster cooperation, contributing to the development of law enforcement agencies in the two friendly countries.

Maaytah lauded the deep-rooted ties between the two public security apparatus in the two countries, which are a reflection of the good relationship between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United States.

He stressed keenness to enhance cooperation and joint coordination, and to open new horizons for this fruitful cooperation.

For her part, the US Under Secretary commended the PSD’s good reputation at the local and international levels.

She underlined the importance of communication and coordination between the security agencies in the two countries to serve the citizens, stressing her country’s keenness to continue cooperation and exchange of expertise between the security apparatus of the two countries.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said Jordan is confidently forging ahead in modernisation and building active partisan life.

During a meeting with Independent Election Commission (IEC) Chief Commissioner Musa Maaytah at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah highlighted the role of young Jordanians as major drivers of modernisation.

His Majesty urged devising a clear strategy to dispel doubt and hesitation among young people and ensure their active engagement in political and partisan life.

The King called for enhancing cooperation with universities, and capitalising on the recently endorsed bylaw to organise partisan activism in higher education institutions.

Commending the IEC’s efforts to raise awareness of the importance of engaging in partisan and political life, His Majesty called for clarifying the direct correlation between active political participation and achieving economic and social development.

For his part, Chief Commissioner Maaytah said the IEC will intensify its awareness raising efforts to expand political engagement, especially among women, youth, and university students.

Maaytah highlighted the IEC’s role in building bridges of trust with the public to reaffirm the seriousness of the political modernisation plan.

Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: The total value of foreign aid, including grants and soft loans committed to Jordan in 2022, amounted to about $4.4 billion, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation announced Monday.

According to the ministry’s foreign aid report, issued Monday, this aid was distributed as follows: Regular grants amounting to $1.66 billion, including grants to support the general state budget amounting to $1.12 billion, and the rest to implement development projects at the national level.

The volume of additional grants directed to support the Syrian crisis response plan amounted to about $760 million this year, constituting 33.4 per cent of the amount of funding required for the Jordan Response Plan to the Syrian crisis, the report said.

The volume of contracted soft loans amounted to about $2 billion, $1.47 billion of which to support the general state budget or sectoral support through the general budget, and the remaining amount is to implement development projects through the relevant sectoral ministries.

According to the report, the key economic sectors that leveraged grants and soft loans within foreign aid last year are: the general state budget support with a rate of 41.2 per cent, the water and sanitation sector with a rate of 14.4 per cent, then the food security and agriculture sector with a rate of 13.2 per cent, while the social protection sector accounted for 11.7 per cent, then the education sector accounted for 4.7 per cent, and employment, vocational training and livelihoods accounted for 3.1 per cent, and the remaining amounts were distributed among other sectors.

The Ministry of Planning said that this aid came as a result of His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts with brotherly and friendly countries and entities, who support the reforms that Jordan is implementing at all levels.

Source: Jordan News Agency