Day: February 28, 2023

His Majesty King Abdullah has received cables from senior officials and officers marking the 67th anniversary of the Arabisation of the leadership of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, which falls on 1 March.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II received similar cables on the occasion.

Source: Jordan News Agency

He expressed concern that the decline in donor support in light of the economic challenges may lead to an increase in humanitarian needs, as vulnerability assessments conducted by UNHCR show that many refugee families fall further below the poverty line, and this is where cash assistance remains key lifeline to meet basic needs and enable refugees to live in dignity.

The UN official said that there are nearly a quarter of a million refugees currently receiving valuable assistance, pointing out that the UNHCR supports nearly 740,000 refugees of all nationalities, in cooperation with major organizations, including the World Food Program, UNICEF and many other UN agencies as well as NGOs, the private sector, civil society and development partners.

“We are preparing for the Global Refugee Forum in December, with Jordan assuming a prominent role as a co-convener for this event. This event will be an important platform to renew the international community’s support for key host countries like Jordan, and to show international solidarity in action,” Bartsch announced.

“12 years into the Syrian crisis, the international community must continue supporting Jordan, which has been a reliable, committed and generous host to people who have been forced to flee their countries,” Bartsch conculded.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The United States is also doing its part to increase refugee resettlement in the United States. President Biden has increased the number of refugees admitted to the United States to 125,000 this year, working with UNHCR, the Jordanian government, and other partners to resettle the most vulnerable cases,” Zeya noted.

She described as “exceptional” Jordan’s assistance to the Syrian people, including hosting such a large number of refugees. “We look forward to continuing to partner with UNHCR Jordan, the Jordanian government and the Jordanian people to support the refugees who are welcomed here.”

In turn, Bartsch said that the United States is the largest donor to UNHCR in Jordan and around the world. It also provides the largest number of resettlement opportunities for refugees, with more than 3,000 refugee departures recorded last year..

“Since the beginning of the crisis, Jordan has allowed Syrian refugees to access health care, education, and access to the labor market. These critical political decisions facilitated the inclusion of refugees in national systems, and these decisions remain a model to be followed around the world,” Bartsch added.

He noted that Jordan was the first country to include refugees in its coronavirus vaccination campaign, which is another example of its firm commitment to doing the right thing for people in need of protection.

He indicated that as a result of this generous approach, many of the approximately 660,000 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Jordan were able to rebuild their lives and support their families.

Source: Jordan News Agency

US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, expressed her country’s deep appreciation for the partnership with Jordan, its hospitality and support for refugees.

In a joint statement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative to Jordan, Dominik Bartsch, Zeya said the United States stands with Jordan as an ally and friend, to help meeting the needs of refugees and host communities no matter what it takes.

“I’ve witnessed Jordan’s commitment to ensuring the safety of all refugees, and its belief that the return of refugees takes place in a safe, voluntary manner and in a manner that preserves their dignity,” Zeya added.

“The United States is proud to be the leading international donor to humanitarian programs in Jordan, providing more than $2.4 billion to support refugees and host communities since 2012, including more than $257 million in humanitarian assistance last year,” Zeya further added.

She said that work will continue with partners such as the UNHCR, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund, UNRWA, and NGOs to provide cash assistance, food vouchers, and other services to refugees in Jordan, in addition to providing training opportunities for skills development and small business management.

“This support comes in addition to more than $1.65 billion in assistance provided last year as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Jordan to improve critical sectors including water, education, and the healthcare system. We also provide security assistance to support our partnership to enhance regional stability,” Zeya explained.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Justice Ahmad Ziadat lauded Jordan-US ties which are based on mutual respect and cooperation, serving the interest of the two friendly countries.

Ziadat made his remarks in a meeting held Tuesday with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, and U.S. Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice, Desiree Cormier Smith, and the accompanying delegation.

Ziadat underlined the importance of maintaining joint cooperation between Jordan and the United States in the legal fields, expressing appreciation for the support provided to Jordan by the US government and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The meeting covered issues related to human rights, including the achievements of the Anti-Human Trafficking National Committee, chaired by the Minister of Justice, and efforts that have been achieved in this field, and future plans and projects to provide response mechanisms of combating human trafficking.

For her part, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights underscored the importance of the strategic relationship between the two countries, and that the United States highly values Jordan’s role in the region, expressing keenness to strengthen the existing cooperation between the two countries in order to promote the human rights ecosystem.

The meeting was attended by the Ministry’s Secretary General for Judicial Affairs, Judge Saad Louwzi, Director of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ambassador Raghad Saqqa, and a number of directors of the Ministry of Justice and members of the Anti-Human Trafficking Committee.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday was briefed on the government’s programme to implement the Economic Modernisation Vision in education, at a meeting attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II.

During the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah highlighted the need to focus on the quality of education and invest in qualified Jordanian human resources to advance the sector and keep up with modern teaching methods, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty called for moving ahead with teacher training in line with the ongoing process of developing the curricula, especially for the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi).

The King urged stepping up efforts to adopt the latest technology in education, in order to move into blended learning and avoid any disruptions in the future under any circumstances.

His Majesty also called for identifying the reasons behind learning loss to come up with suitable solutions.

The King underscored the need to encourage the private sector to contribute to plans to expand kindergartens.

Speaking at the meeting, Crown Prince Al Hussein stressed the importance of focusing on training teachers and honing their skills as a key priority, calling for continuing efforts to develop vocational training to meet labour market needs.

His Royal Highness also urged adopting careful criteria for selecting locations to build new schools, taking into account providing a suitable learning environment.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh highlighted the education sector’s main priorities within modernisation across all its tracks, focusing on the importance of bolstering vocational education, enhancing kindergartens,

and expanding teacher training.

Education and Higher Education Minister Azmi Mahafzah outlined the sector’s priorities for 2023, including kindergarten level 2 universalisation, and developing curricula for the first level of kindergarten.

The sector’s priorities also include developing the ICT infrastructure for education, continuing to enhance and digitise the curricula, focusing on teacher training, bolstering technical and vocational education, compensating learning loss, and attracting expatriate students, the minister said.

He said the Economic Modernisation Vision is geared towards increasing vocational enrolment by 5 per cent each year to reach 20 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2027.

Mahafzah also spoke about blended learning and efforts to promote good governance and bolster capacity building, stressing that the vision calls for public-private partnerships to enhance education.

Source: Jordan News Agency