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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, in a phone call on Saturday with Iraqi President Barham Salih, reaffirmed Jordan’s firm commitment to supporting Iraq and its people.

In the phone call, King Abdullah stressed that Jordan is keen on seeing the brotherly Iraqi people overcome current conditions by reaching a national consensus among all components of society on the way forward to bolster Iraq’s stability, security, unity and political independence; while countering all attempts to intervene in Iraq’s internal and security affairs and preventing the resurgence of terrorist groups that the people of Iraq have bravely fought and neutralised, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty expressed Jordan’s firm support for all efforts towards achieving the Iraqi people’s aspirations, leading to rebuilding what has been destroyed by terrorist groups, bolstering Iraq’s internal front and strengthening national unity and resilience, with the goal of restoring Iraq’s key regional and international stature, the statement said.

 For his part, Iraqi president expressed appreciation for Jordan’s brotherly position, led by the King, stressing the deep-rooted ties between the two countries and the strategic, historical relations between their peoples.

AMMAN — The Lower House is scheduled to listen to the government’s presentation of  the 2020 draft state budget law on Sunday, Speaker Atef Tarwaneh said.

Tarawneh said that the Chamber will also discuss a petition of the Prosecutor General on lifting of the immunity from two MPs and two former ministers, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

As a protocol, the House refers the draft state budget law for its Financial Committee for deliberations. 

The government referred the draft state budget law for 2020 and budgets of independent public institutions to the House last week which expected 66 per cent of the 2020 revenues to be generated from tax return, 25 per cent from non-tax resources and 9 per cent from grants.

The deficit in 2020 budget is estimated to reach JD1.247 billion after grants, constituting 3.9 per cent of GDP, up from JD1.215 billion in the reestimated value for 2019.
The 2020 draft state budget law saw a rise in domestic revenues to reach JD7.754 billion, registering an increase of 10.4 per cent from the JD7.021 billion reestimated in 2019. 

Before grants, next year’s deficit was estimated at JD2.054 billion, or 6.4 per cent of GDP, compared with JD2.018 billion of the reestimated deficit in 2019, constituting 6.5 per cent of GDP.

Foreign grants are expected to reach JD807 million in 2020, nearly the same as the reestimated value in 2019.

Tax revenues are expected to increase by JD853 million to JD5.651 billion compared with JD4.798 billion reestimated for 2019 while non-tax revenues are expected to see a 5.4 per cent drop to JD2.103 billion in 2020, down from the JD2.223 billion reestimated for 2019.

Current expenditures are expected to constitute some 85 per cent of the public spending in 2020 with an estimated value of JD8.383 billion, while capital spending is to form 15 per cent with JD1.425 billion.

AMMAN — A chance of rainfall in the north and centre of the Kingdom is forecast for Sunday evening, extending to the rest of the Kingdom at night, according to the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD).

Later on Sunday night, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are forecast as well, with westerly moderate to brisk winds, the JMD said. 

On Monday, the department predicts a cold air mass with westerly moderate to brisk winds, with the weather remaining relatively cold and rainy on Tuesday as well.

The JMD warned of slippery roads, low visibility due to fog formation and the danger of torrents in valleys and low areas. 

In Amman, temperatures are forecast to range between 13°C and 7°C on Sunday, while on Monday they are forecast to see a high of 13°C and a low of 6°C, increasing slightly on Tuesday to 14°C during the day and 5°C during the night. 

In Zarqa, Sunday temperatures are forecast to see a high of 15°C and a low of 8°C, while on Monday temperatures are predicted to range between 15°C and 7°C and between 16°C and 6°C on Tuesday.

As for Aqaba, Sunday’s temperatures are forecast between 23°C and 15°C and Monday’s between 25°C and 14°C, while on Tuesday they are expected to range between 26°C and 13°C. 

AMMAN — HRH Princess Basma on Thursday commended the achievements made by Jordan Valley Links, an enterprise development project for women and youth in the Jordan Valley, in its work that focuses on food processing, community tourism and the use of clean technologies. 

During a ceremony held at the Zaha Cultural Centre, Princess Basma drew attention to the importance of the project, which targets women and youth, highlighting Jordanian women’s capabilities and the potential they can reach with support, empowerment and training, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan Valley Links, implemented by Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) since 2016 and funded by Global Affairs Canada, aims at supporting 25,000 entrepreneurial women and youth in the Jordan Valley to increase their contribution to Jordan’s economic growth.  

Women in the Jordan Valley have proven their success in a number of entrepreneurial projects, in spite of the challenges imposed by the area’s environment and work conditions, she said.    

The women’s transfer from a domestic, care-giving role to an economically productive role is the project’s real success, she noted, urging related bodies to support women’s entrepreneurial projects and promote their products to ensure the sustainability and growth of their work.

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Wisam Rabadi, for his part, thanked the Canadian government for supporting the project, highlighting Canada’s “distinguished” efforts in supporting the Kingdom to address the repercussions of refugee influxes and increasing funding to vital sectors.

Christopher Johnston, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Canada, said that Canadian funding to Jordan Valley Links is part of his country’s partnership with Jordan, adding that Canada’s support to the Kingdom aims at improving economic growth, creating jobs and empowering women and youth.

Regional Director of MEDA West Africa and the MENA region Pierre Kadet lauded the project’s economic achievements, highlighting that Jordan Valley Links is a model for “real partnership” that links governmental and non-governmental sectors, Petra reported.

After the ceremony, Princess Basma inaugurated the marketing event “Treasures of Jordan Valley”, during which a number of entrepreneurial women and youth showcased their productive projects.

AMMAN — Wednesday marked the inauguration of the Sergio Fubini guesthouse on the campus of SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), a research centre with a particle accelerator located in Allan in the Balqa governorate.

The guesthouse was constructed with funding provided by the Italian government represented by the Ministry of Education, University and Research through the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), a SESAME statement said.

At the ceremony, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by the Ambassador of Italy to Jordan, Fabio Cassese, in the presence of SESAME Director Khaled Toukan, President of the SESAME Council Rolf Heuer and President of the INFN Antonio Zoccoli, as well as former president of the INFN Fernando Ferroni and participants in the 35th council meeting of SESAME. 

 “In the SESAME Guest House it will be possible to see directly at work one of the great dreams of those who wanted this laboratory: Scientists and experts from different disciplines living and working together in a spirit of peace, collaboration and freedom in scientific research. The choice to dedicate it to Sergio Fubini, the prominent Italian scientist, underlines this commitment again,” the ambassador was quoted in the statement as saying.

The building consists of 48 bedrooms furnished with a range of modern amenities, two of which are accessible for people with disabilities, the statement noted, adding that the guesthouse is equipped with a large dining area, a meeting room and a lecture theatre. 

SESAME was officially opened in May of 2017 as the Middle East’s first major international research centre, according to its website. It is a cooperative venture by scientists and governments of the region that aims to foster scientific and technological excellence in the Middle East and propel the region’s scientific, technical and economic development. It also aims to build scientific and cultural bridges between diverse societies and contribute to peace-building through international cooperation in science.

AMMAN — Under Royal directives to reach out to members of Bir Al Sabe’ tribes to follow up on their needs and concerns, with the aim of reducing poverty and unemployment, Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi on Saturday visited the tribes that reside in Zarqa, Mafraq, Amman, Madaba and Balqa.

This visit falls in line with the goal of communicating with all citizens residing in all areas of the Kingdom, prioritising their demands and providing them with services according to the Royal directive to improve citizens’ living standards, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

“This visit stems from the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, who directed relevant authorities to visit Bir Al Sabe’ tribes and prioritise their needs and demands during his meeting on Monday with representatives and leading figures from the tribes, as part of the Basman Forum meetings at the Royal Hashemite Court,” Issawi said.

He added that the Kingdom is facing several challenges, the most important of which is its economic situation, noting that the King constantly directs the government to work on improving the living conditions of citizens and providing them with quality services, and that His Majesty instructs the government to provide jobs for youth and invest their energies to serve the Kingdom. 

The official highlighted that improving the services provided to citizens and responding to their demands is based on partnership with citizens and integrating the roles of concerned entities.

He noted that His Majesty highlighted the importance of creating a Bir Al Sabe’ community-based committee to outline their priorities and needs with a clear plan during his meeting with representatives and leading figures from Bir Al Sabe’ tribes on Monday.

During Issawi’s visit, tribe notables and representatives reviewed prominent demands concerning health care, combatting unemployment and poverty, creating productive projects that generate income and improving public transportation.

They also demanded establishing vocational training centres to create employment opportunities and improving charities, youth clubs and sports and cultural clubs, in addition to supporting enterprises that financially empower women and youth.

The representatives called for establishing care and rehabilitation centres for people with disabilities, creating public parks and supporting agricultural projects, as well as rehabilitating schools and establishing new schools in residential complexes. 

AMMAN — “Break the Silence”, a campaign that encourages women to stand their ground, uses artistic expression to emphasise women’s integral role in society.

Taking place during the annual “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”, “Break the Silence” is organised by online gallery Artmejo in partnership with the Embassy of The Netherlands in Jordan, Artmejo Founder Hind Joucka told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

The campaign urges local artists and writers to tell stories of how women have been marginalised in pursuing education and accessing economic opportunities, and “methodically excluded across time”, Joucka added.

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which aims to eliminate the objectification and exploitation of women, began on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and is set to conclude on Human Rights Day on December 10, the founder said.

In response to an open call for artists, creators and innovators to create “sources of inspiration” that shed light on gender-based violence, with the aim of elevating women’s voices and concerns, Artmejo received over 70 submissions. Sixteen artworks were chosen by a panel of experts, Editor-in-Chief of Artmejo’s online magazine Sama Shahrouri told The Jordan Times.

“Throughout the 16 days, the 16 artworks will be featured on the embassy’s and Artmejo’s social media platforms,” Shahrouri added.

One of these pieces is a portrait of a woman painted on an eighth-floor building on Arar Street, Shahrouri said, adding that the mural is a collaborative project between two young artists. 

“Arar Street is a special location as it is near the downtown area. What also makes this mural resonate with real life is the girl’s expression and the words written by the young Jordanian poet Seba Abbadi,” she added.

Marimar Mohammad, one of the two artists painting the mural, said: “We used black and white in this picture to take the focus away from the identity of the woman, focusing on her sigh, her closed eyes and her head held up high.”

Dalal Mitwalli, the other artist, added: “This woman comes forward in full swing to represent all females from all ages, redefining this male-driven world.”

Joucka thanked the neighbourhood and the art community for their “helpful contribution”, noting that this kind of contribution is “the essence of such campaigns”.

Artmejo is an online platform that was created back in 2014 by Joucka and is geared towards bringing together all aspects of art in Jordan, Shahrouri said, adding that its online magazine Artmejournal began in July 2018.

“This online magazine has 19 Arab writers from all around the world, bringing many concepts together using art for readers beyond the region,” Shahrouri noted.

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri on Saturday inaugurated the fourth Silk Road Conference in Amman.

The conference, organised by the Palestinian-Jordanian Business Forum in cooperation with the Jordan Entrepreneurship and Innovation Association and the EU, witnessed the participation of 500 businesspeople from inside and outside the Kingdom, mainly from Palestine.

On the sidelines of the event, the "Dolany" initiative was started to link entrepreneuriers with business owners and the "business tree" database was launched through the partnership of the Jordan, Palestine and Turkey business associations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hammouri, during the opening ceremony, called for joint work and solidarity to prevent more regional crises and to change economic and political challenges into investment opportunities through innovation and the youth’s entrepreneurial spirit.

He also highlighted the Kingdom's efforts towards supporting innovation, pointing out that since 1960 Jordan has established institutions designated to support education, science and technology, as well as improve innovation capabilities. 

Chairman of the Jordanian-Palestinian Business Forum Nazmi Atmeh said that the conference focuses on the changes in the business environment and raising awareness to confront the rising tide of challenges and risks. 

Also speaking at the conference, EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou said that with all the challenges the Kingdom is facing, it has managed to maintain its position as a place of security and stability in a troubled region, according to Petra.  

She also went over the EU’s “continuous support” to Jordan’s young people, highlighting the  EU’s efforts to support private sector development through the EU-funded Jordanian Action for the Development of Enterprises  project.

Saleem Hammad, general manager of Amazon in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, said that the company is “one of the biggest success stories in the MENA” through the support of Jordanian expertise and cadres.

Amazon has brought 800 job opportunities for Jordanians, he added, pointing out that e-commerce “is the future for trade in the region”, Petra reported.  

AMMAN — Jordanian and Arab women groups and politicians on Saturday called for stronger and clearer legislations that would penalise sexual harassment in the Arab world.

The call came during a roundtable discussion on Arab Women in the Face of Violence and Harassment Against Women: Pioneering Initiatives, organised by the Quds Centre for Political Studies (QCPS) and supported by the Norwegian embassy in Amman.

The one-day event, which was held in Amman, gathered representatives from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia.

Jerash MP Wafa Bani Mustafa said that it is “extremely important” to introduce legislations that protect victims of sexual harassment and find better ways to encourage women to report abuse cases.  

“We also need to study ways to implement a special strategy that would address this problem and find solutions to tackle it on all levels as well as empowering all the entities that deal with this problem,” Bani Mustafa said.

Director of the QCPS Oraib Rantawi told The Jordan Times that the roundtable discussion was held based on a study they conducted on sexual harassment “which came up with some difficult and worrying results”.

The study revealed that 62 per cent of those surveyed were subjected to some form of harassment in their lives, while around 40 per cent of those surveyed denied that this phenomenon existed, according to Rantawi. 

The QCPS director added that the event aimed at shedding more light on the problem of “sexual harassment that mostly targets women in our part of the world and discuss means of ensuring a safe environment for women at work and elsewhere”.

“The idea was to invite women groups and activists from our area to learn from experience and come up with some recommendations that would help combat this wide-spread phenomenon,” Rantawi said.

Rantawi added that the workshop also aimed at encouraging various society sectors and individuals to combat this problem and raise awareness about it, as “there are still some people who do not believe that sexual harassment exists in Jordan”.

Among the main findings, according to Rantawi, was the need to introduce laws that would penalise perpetrators and to raise awareness about this problem in society.

Also addressing the gathering was Head of the Communication and Advocacy Unit at the Jordanian National Commission for Women Ashjan Ananzeh, who spoke about a study conducted by her organisation in 2017.

The study, according to Ananzeh, focused on sexual harassment at work, at public and educational institutions, at home, on the street and through the Internet.

Around 88 per cent of those surveyed were subjected to verbal harassment and obscene gestures in the street, while 68 per cent stated that they were subjected to physical harassment, Ananzeh added.

Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian HarassMap Foundation Inas Hamdi said her organisation was established in 2010 to specifically address the sexual harassment problem in Egypt.

“We did a study that indicated that 95 per cent of women are subjected to some form of sexual harassment, while 77 per cent of the men surveyed admitted they had harassed women either verbally or physically,” Hamdi told the gathering.

She added that “some people in Egypt told us that sexual harassment of women is okay and is a simple matter. They believe that men basically did not commit any offence”.

On the other hand, Hamdi added, some people assume that the individual who is harassed is expected to accept this form of violation against her or his rights. 

“Many women are reluctant to file a complaint at a police station because for many people, sexual harassment is equivalent to rape and they prefer to avoid such a scandal than come forward and tell the authorities what happened,” Hamdi added.

AMMAN — The Ministry of Environment is reviewing the mechanism for importing, producing and selling biodegradable plastic shopping bags, in line with regulations passed back in 2017, according to a statement by the ministry.

Head of the Solid Waste Management Department at the Ministry Heba Zaabalawi said in the statement that the banning of non-biodegradable plastic bags, as recently announced by the ministry, is “not a recent matter”, but was included within the regulations of the 2017 biodegradable plastic bag law.

“What is new is that the ministry decided to work in partnership with several parties to develop a comprehensive mechanism and a plan of action that would implement the law more seriously when it comes to the banning of plastic bags,” Zaabalawi said.

Since the law was instated in 2017, field officers were tasked to execute inspection tours on establishments involved in the production of plastic shopping bags to ensure their commitment to the new regulations, according to the statement.

These regulations included adding biodegradable material to the local product as well as not producing black plastic bags.

Although the statement did not mention what the new mechanism’s agenda would add to current regulations, Zaabalawi said a crackdown on unlicensed violators of the law would be “on the forefront of the agenda”.

“According to the new legislative system, there are specific bags that will be absolutely banned, especially lightweight ones. It will also reinforce the regulation that everything must be biodegradable, with the exception of heavyweight plastics that are intended for multiple uses," added Zaabalawi.

The ministry’s recent announcement of a total and reinforced ban on plastic bags was well-received on social media, with many environmental activists praising the move towards a greener Jordan.

Jumana Magableh, a soil scientist and environmental enthusiast, said on Twitter that Jordan’s reinforcement of the law is “a conscious move towards taking climate change seriously”.

The decision was also praised recently by Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Aránzazu Bañón Dávalos, whose country is currently hosting the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.