Jordan joins world leaders in renewing commitment to women’s empowerment

AMMAN — The Jordanian government has participated in the high-level meeting held on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 that led to the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which remains “the most visionary and comprehensive roadmap for advancing women's rights globally”.

On this occasion, world leaders convened virtually during the United Nations General Assembly for a high-level meeting on “Accelerating the Realisation of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls”, which provided an opportunity for member states to demonstrate leadership and commitments to ensure the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Platform for Action, according to a joint statement by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. 

The 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action also coincides with the five-year anniversary of working towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Jordanian government’s speech at the high-level meeting was presented by Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs and Chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Women’s Empowerment Musa Maaytah. 

Through a recorded video message broadcast during the meeting, he said that Jordan since 1995 has made important steps in improving women's access to their rights, especially in the fields of education and health, and to amend and/or abrogate gender-discriminatory legislation. 

He also presented the positive measures that have been taken to enhance the political and economic participation of women. 

The minister highlighted the importance of the National Strategy for Women 2020-2025 adopted by the government earlier in March on the occasion of International Women’s Day, noting that the government still needs to accelerate efforts and achievements to face the challenges that still hinder the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“The strategy encapsulates Jordan’s vision for gender equality and women’s empowerment, for both Jordanians and refugee communities, and is fully aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. 

Reflecting on the challenges that still hamper women’s participation in the economy and political life, he noted that “in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working to ensure that the National Strategy for Women will serve as an essential instrument for Jordan’s recovery”.

Maaytah added that “the Jordanian government will be keen to adopt the National Strategy for Women as one of the essential instruments to recover from the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Work is currently underway to prepare an annex to the strategy that enhances the achievements made, ensures a comprehensive recovery and contributes to achieving more equality for women and girls.”

Secretary-General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women Salma Al Nims indicated that Jordan has achieved many important results in various fields concerning women, but challenges and difficulties are yet to be overcome, especially in relation to priorities indicated in the national progress report to the Beijing Platform for Action. 

Looking ahead, the National Strategy for Women will provide a roadmap for monitoring progress on national commitments and to promote gender-oriented initiatives through both gender-responsive budgeting as part of Jordan’s gender mainstreaming policy for the public sector, as well as for directing financing to gender equality, the statement said.

Nims emphasised the importance of Jordan’s National Action Plan (JONAP) for advancing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325), given the circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It is a national framework that guarantees participation and cooperation between all partners in facing crises and guarantees the participation of women and women's organisations. This was promptly reflected in the response of the Jordanian security sector to provide protection and prevention services, and support Jordan's exceptional efforts to limit the spread of the pandemic and counter the impact of response measures, read the statement.

“Important progress has been made in Jordan to empower women and girls since 1995 through collective efforts supporting national leadership,” said UN Women Jordan Representative Ziad Sheikh. 

“The National Strategy for Women provides the key framework to address current and future challenges, including the impact of the pandemic, and to accelerate progress on national priorities for the empowerment of all women and girls.”