COVID-19 Youth Taskforce training concludes at Dead Sea

AMMAN — Sixty young men and women from the governorates of Aqaba, Tafileh and Maan participated in the fourth and final round of the training programme of the COVID-19 Youth Taskforce at the Dead Sea. 

The programme is part of the national initiative launched by the Ministry of Interior in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jordan, and with the support of the Government of Norway, according to a UNDP statement.

The Youth Volunteers’ Taskforce will work within their local communities to raise awareness on COVID-19 preventive measures and to support boosting vaccination rates. 

In his welcoming remarks, Governor Mohammad Al Sarhan, director of the Local Development Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, thanked UNDP and Norway for supporting this initiative. 

Sarhan lauded the efforts and partnership with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Dar Abu Abdullah and the Royal Health AwarenessSociety. 

Baker Al Hiyari, senior programmes specialist at the Governance and Peace Pillar at the UNDP's Jordan Country Office, said that UNDP, in cooperation with theMinistry of Interior, implemented many projects that support decentralisation and local and economic development, noting thatyouth are the most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All our projects support decentralisation, and given that youth are the majority in your communities, it was important that you lead and implement such initiatives. These new challenges require fresh energies,” he said.

 He added that local governments and health organisations were the first respondent institutions in the fight against COVID-19.With the support of the Norwegian government, UNDP was able to support those institutions and strengthen their resilience against COVID-19 as a part of the Network of Local Governments project.

UNDP supports programmes and policies that promote the civic and political participation of young people and helps qualify them to be partners in decision-making at the national and local levels. 

Hiyari introduced the participants to the Network of Local Governments project that aims to promote transparency and accountability, enhance community outreach at the local level and link decision makers with youth and local communities.

The training programme introduced COVID-19 preventive measures and vaccinations, and trained the participants on the Sanad Application, communication skills and how to deal with resistance to vaccination and safety measures in local communities.

The trained 240 young men and women from all over Jordan, will support the Ministry of Interior inspection teams in the field as they raise awareness and advise establishments and individuals on the relevance of the COVID-19 vaccination and its direct link to the recovery of the economy and the safe functioning of all its sectors.