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AMMAN — The government owes the Jordanian Construction Contractors Association nearly JD300 million, according to the association’s President Ahmad Yacoub, who said the sector is going through a “severe recession”.

In a phone interview with The Jordan Times, Yacoub said that the government “has failed to pay its financial dues, which have accumulated over the past few years.”

“The building process is like a chain, so if the contractor cannot execute his part, the rest of the chain will be disrupted as well,” he added.

Noting that not only his sector, but the real estate sector and the heavy machinery sector have been “negatively affected and damaged as a result of the delay in payments”, Yacoub said his contractors now have urgent dues in the form of bank loans, labour wages and technical equipment payments.

The lawsuits filed against the government by contractors are still pending, so Prime Minister Omar Razzaz recently directed the association and the government to form a joint committee to reach “amicable settlements”. 

“This committee has not met, not once, until now. The slowdown in payment makes matters worse, not only for us but for the Treasury, as an interest rate of about 9 per cent has been agreed upon for any late payment to any contractor,” said Yacoub.

He added that a solution offered by the government was that each contractor could borrow the sum that the government owes him from the bank, provided that the government settles matters with the bank. However, the government specified that the loan should only be the principal amount of the payment, without the 9 per cent interest, which Yacoub called “a great injustice”.

The association recently warned in a statement that the financial failure of the government has led to “the paralysis of the sector, the bankruptcy of its stakeholders and the displacement of sector workers who support thousands of families”.

Despite several attempts to contact the Prime Ministry concerning this issue, The Jordan Times received no response.

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Thursday signed a grant and loan financing agreement with its strategic partner the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with the aim to provide a “comprehensive and definitive solution” to the environmental problems caused by the cesspit in Rusaifa known as the “Pepsi Pool”.

"Today we are gathered to review progress made on the Pepsi Pool project, especially given the multi-level partnership with the EBRD," Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh said at a press conference on Thursday.

The project is not only a technical solution for the 40-year-old problem, but also has an environmental focus, he said, adding that the Pepsi Pool will be converted into a park as soon as the technical phase is over.

The tender for the design and implementation of the Pepsi Pool project will be finalised in the coming week, he said. 

The mayor noted that implementation of the tender will begin in March or April of next year. The project is expected to take 18 months at a total estimated cost of JD12 million, JD8 million as grants and JD4 million as a loan from the EBRD.

This agreement is based on an original arrangement between GAM and the EBRD, under which GAM receives grants and loans in an accessible form, Shawarbeh said, noting that Engicon, a global engineering consulting firm based in Amman, conducted technical studies for the project.

The press conference witnessed a presentation by Engicon on the studies for the Pepsi Pool project, which took the engineering and consulting company six months to complete.

The feasibility study for the project included analysis of the problems caused by the pool, hydrologic and geotechnical studies and soil tests, in addition to outlining environmental measures, which consist of two parts: Draining rainwater from the pool using a culvert box, and creating water conveyance systems using micro-tunnelling.

“This project is another milestone for the EBRD in cooperation with GAM,” EBRD Regional Director for the Middle East Heike Harmgart said during the press conference. He added that the Pepsi Pool project has garnered “a lot of attention”, given the critical environmental impact of the cesspit. 

Shawarbeh expressed his gratitude to the GAM technical committee responsible for the project and representatives of Rusaifa Municipality, the Environment Ministry and the EBRD.

AMMAN — The cost of the flu vaccine has been cut in half, decreasing from an average of JD11 to JD5.5, Health Minister Saad Jaber announced on Thursday. 

“This is a seasonal flu just like any other flu, and people should not be afraid of it. It was new in 2009, but now it should be dealt with normally,” Amman-based pulmonologist Ibrahim Al Aqeel told The Jordan Times on Thursday over the phone.

The symptoms of swine flu (H1N1) and the normal flu (influenza) are “almost the same, with a few slight differences”, Al Aqeel said, noting that swine flu can cause high body temperatures that reach up to 40°C, accompanied by trembling and shivering. 

Swine flu symptoms also include severe headaches, and joint and muscle pain, and may even include the symptoms of a common cold, Al Aqeel said, adding that there may be a lot of coughing with phlegm as well.

The Health Ministry has announced six deaths from swine flu so far this season, causing public unease and fear. However, Al Aqeel said that death occurs only in “very extreme cases” where the swine flu affects the lungs, which can lead to shortness of breath and lack of oxygen in the blood, possibly affecting the kidneys.

“Only in such a severe case, where the patient suffers high inflammation in the lungs and needs to use an artificial respirator, death might occur,” the pulmonologist explained. 

Precautions against the disease include getting the flu vaccine, which also contains the swine flu virus, during September and October, before the season begins in November.

However, he added, “even if the person misses out on the vaccine before the seasons begins, they can still take it during the flu season. As long as they are healthy and have not been infected, the vaccine will be effective".

Al Aqeel recommended that people steer clear of crowded places whenever possible and avoid close interaction with a person with a flu virus, regardless of its type. Those who already have the virus should use tissues whenever they sneeze and wear face masks, the doctor added.

“People should also drink lots of fluids and wash their hands regularly, as fluids keep the upper mucous membranes moist, making it easy to keep out the virus,” Al Aqeel said, also recommending eating Vitamin C-rich foods. 

As of Wednesday, a total of 199 H1N1 cases were registered nationwide, according to Health Minister Saad Jaber.

H1N1 is a kind of seasonal flu that surfaces annually and is “treated effectively” by Jordanian medical care establishments, Jaber said during a joint press conference held on Wednesday with Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh. 

The minister said that the rate of the disease’s spread is “normal for this time of year”, stressing that treatment is available and that the ministry is in direct contact with the World Health Organisation and other stakeholders to address the issue. 

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Prince Hassan, chairman of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Thursday attended a ceremony to announce the results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report. 

Razzaz said that real partnership between the Education Ministry and the National Centre for Human Resources Development (NCHRD) has contributed to achieving good results in the 2018 report, after registering modest results in 2015's version, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The report, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), showed an increase in the average marks of Jordanian students in science and mathematics by 20 marks each, and by 11 marks in reading, when compared to the 2015 report.

Razzaz noted that, when excluding OECD European countries, Jordan would be the second in the world in terms of improvement in this international study, expressing hopes to achieve the average of these European countries. 

The premier said that high marks on such international tests require moving from principles based on memorisation to methods focusing on comprehension and analysis when dealing with information, in addition to exchanging textbooks focusing on only theoretical sciences with scientific, applied lessons. 

Education Minister Taiseer Nuaimi said that the PISA results prompt the ministry to start a comprehensive plan that includes four key aspects, the first with a focus on curricula by developing new training programmes.

The second aspect, according to Nuaimi, will reconsider curricula as part of a national framework that analyses students' mistakes in mathematics, science and reading. 

The third aspect will focus on conducting research in cooperation with the NCHRD and Jordanian universities, while the fourth is related to sustaining communication with media sources to convey the ministry's message and goals accurately, he added. 

NCHRD President Abdullah Ababneh said that the assessment, which evaluates the performance of 15-year-olds, is conducted every three years in the fields of science, mathematics and reading, and is conducted in Jordan in cooperation with the centre.

The Kingdom's ranking in the report, which assessed 79 countries, improved by 18 points in science, seven in mathematics and 10 in reading, he said.

Jordan topped the list of the six countries that improved in the field of science, and ranked third among the 13 countries that saw an improvement in mathematics, while it needed only one mark to be included in the list of the top four countries registering a "significant development" in reading.

The first PISA report was launched in 2000 and Jordan began participating in the assessment in 2006.

AMMAN — Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi on Wednesday reaffirmed the established partnership between UNRWA and the Kingdom during a consultative meeting with UNRWA General-Commissioner Christian Saunders, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.  

During the meeting, Safadi and Saunders discussed steps to develop a joint work programme to communicate with international donors, secure the necessary funding for the agency’s 2020 budget and ensure the agency's ability to continue providing its "vital services" to Palestinian refugees.

The two officials also reviewed the agency’s financial situation for the current year and discussed ways to bridge the deficit remaining from the 2019 budget.

Safadi stressed the necessity of providing support to fill the funding gap, expressing hopes that the remainder of the supporting funds committed will be paid. 

Saunders expressed his appreciation for Jordanian efforts to mobilise international support for the agency under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, the statement added.

In his speech at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on Tuesday, Safadi thanked the international community for its support for UNRWA.

He urged other nations to work to empower the agency and enable it to fulfill its UN mandate in serving more than 5 million Palestinian refugees. 

The General Assembly voted in favour of renewing UNRWA's mandate in December, with an overwhelming majority of 169 votes against two votes.

Safadi also discussed mobilising support for UNRWA on Wednesday with Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag during a meeting on the sidelines of the forum in Geneva. 

Safadi thanked the Dutch minister for her country’s decision to continue providing support to the agency. The Netherlands had previously frozen its funding to UNRWA due to an investigation into administrative violations, which ultimately found that the agency had not committed any financial violations.

The two ministers reaffirmed their countries' commitment to continue enhancing bilateral relations, especially in economic, development and investment fields.

They also discussed developments in the region, particularly issues related to the Palestinian cause and joint efforts to solve the Syrian crisis. 

AMMAN — The Kingdom has seen a substantial advancement in gender gap indicators related to pay equity, as well as women’s representation in political life.

These findings were announced in the World Economic Forum’s report “Closing the Gender Gap Accelerators 2020”.

“Jordan was able to close the gender gap by 62.3 per cent in the past 12 months,” the report said.

Pay equity saw a jump of 20 points, while women’s representation in the parliament reported a 42-point increase.

“The changes achieved by the Kingdom were a clear indication that the government is tirelessly working, under its wise leadership, to ensure gender balance by launching several initiatives that empower women,” the report noted.

Other steps adopted by the government, according to the report, include strengthening the work environment and ensuring equal opportunities for women in the private sector.

The report attributes the economic gender gap to a number of factors, including low levels of women in managerial or leadership positions, wage stagnation, labour force participation and income.

“Women have been hit by a triple whammy: First, they are more highly represented in many of the roles that have been hit hardest by automation, for example, retail and white-collar clerical roles,” the report stated.

Secondly, not enough women are entering professions — often but not exclusively technology-driven — where wage growth has been the most pronounced.

As a result, the report added, women in work too often find themselves in middle to low wage categories that have been stagnant since the financial crisis 10 years ago.

The third factor to “strongly limit” women’s workforce opportunities, according to the report, was the lack of care infrastructure and lack of access to capital.

“Women spend at least twice as much time providing care and in voluntary work in every country where data is available; and lack of access to capital prevents women from pursuing entrepreneurial activity, another key driver of income,” the report stated.

The Gender Gap Accelerator is designed to identify key economic gender gaps, develop public- and private-sector interventions for narrowing these gaps and commit relevant stakeholders from both sectors to a three-year action plan.

Central to these efforts will be engaging companies in the strong business case for advancing gender parity in their workforces and taking action on women’s participation, skills, wages and leadership, while the government drives new policies and initiatives and tracks progress.

AMMAN — The Information and Research Centre — King Hussein Foundation (IRCKHF), in partnership with UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), organised a ceremony to present the outcomes of joint advocacy campaigns on women’s economic empowerment led by seven community-based organisations (CBOs) in Tafileh, according to a joint statement.

Implemented over the past six months with the support of the governments of Finland, France, Iceland and Italy as well as the Zonta International Foundation, the campaigns aimed at raising awareness on challenges and opportunities faced by women and girls in their communities, with a specific focus on access to livelihood services, the statement said.

During the ceremony, Governor of Tafileh Mohammad Rafaya said: “Women now have more important roles in all spheres of life. Their role is a fundamental requirement for a successful developmental process in all areas. The Jordanian woman has become like every other woman in the world; she is a key pillar of development...”, according to the statement.

In the campaigns, each CBO used multi-dimensional outreach channels to deliver their campaigns’ messages and achieve their goals. These included holding meetings with policymakers and stakeholders, conducting awareness raising sessions and participating in radio interviews, as well as using varied media, such as brochures and videos. 

During the event, members of the municipality and the local community, service providers and private sector representatives had the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the seven CBOs on the key achievements and outcomes of the advocacy campaigns, highlighting the need to promote gender-mainstreaming into policy and local development planning, as well as the importance of raising awareness among local decision-makers on the positive impact of gender-responsive services for the community as a whole, the statement noted.

“The findings showed the need to improve the provided services, including medical clinics, the transport system and economic support. Advocacy campaigns contribute to promoting access to public services  and developing women’s lives and the lives of their families and other women in the communities in Tafileh,” Evan Qursha, institutional capacity development specialist at UN Women Jordan, was quoted in the statement as saying. 

The campaigns’ design was based on the findings of a baseline assessment conducted by the IRCKHF in Tafileh, which identified women’s economic empowerment as a priority area for joint advocacy efforts. 

Complementing joint advocacy efforts, the IRCKHF, in collaboration with the JNCW, built the capacity of the seven CBOs to effectively mobilise community members on women’s empowerment, while strengthening their capacity to advocate with decision-makers on the local level concerning the design of inclusive and gender-responsive services, the statement added. 

“We always prefer to start with research to ensure our advocacy is evidence-based. What makes this project unique is that it is only about Tafileh, and focuses on the identified gender development needs. These seven women’s advocacy campaigns via the seven CBOs here today each represent one of the seven districts of Tafileh, thus increasing the overall impact of the project within the governorate as a whole,” Aida Essaid, director of IRCKHF, said in the statement. 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Wednesday honoured the winners of the 11th Civil Service Bureau (CSB) 2018 Ideal Employee Award. The award aims to recognise personnel who have demonstrated outstanding performances, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Razzaz stressed that the award also aims at incentivising distinguished employees and accelerating their progress to leadership positions.

He noted that feedback and complaints from “mystery shoppers” (government employees who investigate service providers as undercover customers) and the “Bekhedmetkom” (at your service) platform will play a “vital role” in assessing employees as of next year. 

AMMAN — Ministries and other public departments and institutions will observe a holiday on Wednesday, December 25, on the occasion of Christmas, according to a communique issued by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz.

Christians in all ministries and other public departments and institutions will also have a holiday on Thursday, December 26, according to the communique, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received a copy of the annual report on Sharia Courts and their conduct of business for the year 2018 during a meeting with Chief Islamic Justice Abdul Hafez Rabtah and Higher Sharia Court President Kamal Smadi.

During the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah commended the efforts of Sharia judges in upholding justice and protecting people’s rights, according to a Royal Court statement. 

His Majesty stressed the development of the judiciary as a priority, and emphasised the need to continue the process of automation and expediting legal procedures to better serve Jordanians and facilitate their legal affairs, the statement said.

The King also underlined the important role of Sharia Courts in communicating with citizens, providing council and raising awareness on matters pertaining to Sharia.

 Rabtah gave a briefing on the report, according to the statement. 

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh attended the meeting.