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AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Tuesday attended the launch ceremony of the Government Procurement Department (GPD), which is part of the second executive package to improve the national economy. 

Nizar Mheidat, head of the department, said the government has adopted a series of reform procedures that seek to institutionalise and unify measures to boost the efficiency of the public sector and increase the level of services provided to citizens, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Among these procedures is endorsing the 2019 procurement by-law, which unifies all purchase systems in the Kingdom and merges the Joint Procurement Department for Medical Supplies and the General Supplies Department into the GPD. 

The GPD is a “vital” element of the financial and administrative reforms and includes an e-procurement system to enhance transparency in procedures related to government tenders and improving purchase processes, the director said.

Mheidat noted that the government procurement by-law is mentioned in the 2018-2022 Jordan Economic Growth Stimulation Plan.

He added that the e-procurement system tracks all stages of the purchase process, from packing and assembling supplies to submitting bidders' tenders, signing contracts with suppliers, receiving goods and paying bills.

The director said that the system aims to develop a unified supplies plan for the public sector through finding common criteria for supplies being used by government institutions including medical equipment and software and computer hardware, in a way that enhances controlling expenditures.   

During the ceremony, the department also honoured the Korean ambassador and director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, along with other partners and representatives of pharmaceutical companies.

AMMAN — The Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators and the European Investment Bank on Tuesday launched an international workshop for radio and TV journalists titled “Climate Challenges and Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean Region” to facilitate greater media visibility for challenges related to climate change in the Mediterranean area, according to a statement from organisers.

During the three-day workshop, which was launched by Ambassador of the EU to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou, major experts from the scientific and information fields are working to enhance the skills and knowledge of 20 journalists, coming from 14 radio and TV broadcasting networks of the Balkans, the south Mediterranean and the Middle East.

A visit to environmentally relevant sites in Jordan will also be organised, giving the participants the opportunity to analyse case studies in the field, the statement said. 

AMMAN — An advanced course on “Biogas Technology in the Treatment and Utilisation of Agricultural Wastes in Jordan” has been launched by the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in cooperation with the Chinese embassy, according to a joint statement.

During the opening ceremony, NARC Director General Nizar Haddad said that the centre is “strongly keen” to strengthen cooperation and partnership with the Chinese embassy in the fields of training and human resource development and benefit from Chinese experience in various fields, adding that in light of the rapid development of digital economy, the problem of energy shortage and environmental degradation has become more evident, the statement said. 

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday referred 56 draft and amending laws to its respective permanent committees. The Chamber referred 51 draft laws to the legal and administrative joint committee for amending items that address the delegation of authority, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Some laws were also referred to the finance committee, while others were sent to a joint panel of the finance, economy and investment committees. 

AMMAN — The 21st Joint Jordanian-Egyptian Business Council in Cairo, which discussed prospects to advance economic cooperation among other issues, concluded on Monday. 

The joint council, held by Jordan and Egypt businessmen associations, went over a number of customs-related issues, mainly in regards to standards and metrology, as well as activating memoranda of understanding over easing trade exchange and non-tariff barriers that hinder Jordanian exports to Egypt.

According to a Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) statement, the Jordanian delegation, on the sidelines of the meetings, met with CEO of Egyptian Exchange Mohammad Saleh over furthering cooperation between the two countries' financial markets, as reported by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

During the meeting, JBA President Hamdi Tabbaa said that Egyptian investments in the Amman Bourse reached some JD41 million, calling for increasing the volume of investments and intensifying mutual visits. 

The two sides also agreed to announce the prices of shares in Amman, Cairo and Alexandria bourses through the Jordanian-Egyptian Business Council's website:
www.jor-egy.net, alongside releases that are of interest to the two countries' businesspeople.

The Jordanian delegation also met with Egyptian Chairman of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones Mohammad Abdulwahhab and discussed the government's latest measures launched to stimulate the national economy and ease investor procedures. 

Tabbaa, during the meeting, emphasised the importance of activating the Egyptian-Jordanian investment coordination council, which the joint Jordanian-Egyptian higher committee agreed to form in 2016.  

AMMAN — The Criminal Court’s General Attorney office on Monday issued a gag order restricting the publication of any news related to the alleged assault by a 31-year-old man against his wife last week.

The November 6 incident occurred in Jerash, some 45 kilometres north of Amman, when the husband reportedly gouged the eyes of his wife, Fatmeh Abu Akleek, a mother of three children, following a domestic dispute. The victim, Fatmeh Abu Akleek, lost her vision as a result.

“The prosecution office decided to issue a gag order to protect the investigation procedures,” a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The suspect was charged with attempted murder and will be tried at the Criminal Court in Amman.

The incident sent shockwaves across the Kingdom, with many describing it as a “barbaric and evil” incident.

The women’s movement organised a sit-in on Saturday under the theme “Enough” near the Prime Ministry, during which over 300 men and women called for better legal and social protection for women subjected to domestic violence.

Jerash MP Wafa Bani Mustafa also gathered the signatures of 16 deputies to call for reconsidering several clauses in the 2017 Domestic Violence Prevention Law (DVPL).

She told The Jordan Times that a number clauses in the DVPL “are not clear or do not protect victims of domestic violence as they should, and there is an urgent need for the government to make the necessary amendments to these clauses to stiffen the punishments and protect victims from the perpetrators in the right manner”.

Another important request is to cancel a clause that allows the victim’s family to drop charges against perpetrators, and this “applies in cases of domestic violence”, she said.

Also on Monday, Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) issued a statement quoting Department of Statistics figures, which indicated that around 26 per cent of Jordanian women aged 15 to 49 are subjected to physical, emotional and sexual violence by their husbands.

The SIGI statement added that one in every 100 married men is subjected to physical violence by his wife. 

SIGI stressed that violence against women and girls in Jordan is a problem that “requires immediate action, since women and sometimes men are subjected to all forms of violence in society, but males usually have better alternatives to escape any form of violence they are subjected to”.  

The human rights organisation reiterated the urgent need to “admit that the phenomenon of domestic violence is on the rise in Jordan and that the government needs to take serious steps to address the problem and find the best means of protecting its citizens”, according to the statement.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has sent a cable to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, expressing condolences over the passing of Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president's representative.

In the cable, King Abdullah expressed deepest sympathies on behalf of Jordan and its people to Sheikh Khalifa and the people of the UAE, according to a Royal Court statement.

AMMAN — Oman on Monday marked its 49th National Day.

As the Omani people mark the national day, annually celebrated on November 18, "in full fanfare and jubilation, they strongly voice their love, gratitude and allegiance to Sultan Qaboos", according to a statement by the Omani embassy in Amman. 

Oman's “world-class status” has been highlighted in many events, the most recent of which is the First World Congress on Maritime Heritage held in Singapore in March, where the sultan was awarded the Excellent Leadership Award.  

The sultanate's “international prestige” has also been reaffirmed through the convening of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab, regional and international meetings in Oman in recognition of its “active diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring the security, stability and prosperity of the region's countries and the word at large”, the statement added. 

"Oman advocates a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, respect for neighbours and cooperation to resolve disputes through dialogue and peaceful means," the embassy said.

The sultanate welcomes “all sincere efforts to end wars”, at the top of which is the war raging in Yemen, while Muscat also reiterates its support for the Palestinian people's national right    of establishing their own independent country, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as part of the two-state solution. 

"Locally, and as part of celebrations marking the 49th national day, Oman has fostered an immense developmental march forward to put the Omani economy on track for a new phase of growth: The Oman 2040 Vision, which begins to be implemented in 2021, following the success of the Oman 2020 Vision," the statement read.

AMMAN — A poll conducted by the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan on Sunday showed that less than a third of the Jordanian population are aware of the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), and only 3 per cent knew about the most recent report the centre issued. 

The poll, which was conducted by the Department of Public Opinion Polls and Surveys from November 11 to 14 and surveyed a representative sample of Jordanian society from all governorates, was included in the “Jordanian Street Pulse” poll series, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The poll addressed urgent issues currently facing Jordan, the region and the international community. “Jordanian Street Pulse" focussed on the fourth Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on November 7, as well as the annual report issued by the NCHR.

The poll showed that half of the population were aware of the most recent Cabinet reshuffle, and that 30 per cent of those surveyed believe that the recent shakeup will enhance the performance of the government, while 27 per cent believe it will not. Of those who were aware of the reshuffle, 37 per cent believe that the reshuffle will not affect the government’s performance. 

Forty-one per cent of them indicated that a new Cabinet was warranted, while 52 per cent thought it was not necessary. 

According to the poll, 30 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they were aware of the NCHR, while 70 per cent did not know of its existence. Of those who knew of the centre, 33.4 per cent said that although they had heard of the centre, they did not know anything about it. 

While 23 per cent said that the role of the NCHR is to protect human rights, around 14 per cent said that the centre's role is to address the problems of citizens and society. Twelve per cent indicated that the purpose of the centre is to defend human rights in Jordan.

Concerning the 15th annual report issued by the NCHR in November on the status of human rights in Jordan in 2018, poll results showed that 3 per cent were aware of it, while 97 per cent were not.

Of those who know of the report, less than half noted that the government followed the report's recommendations, while 42 per cent said it did not.

Around 69 per cent of those who are aware of the report think that the government should follow its recommendations, while 16 per cent hold the view that it should not. 

Unemployment is the most pressing local issue, according to the poll. Following unemployment, poverty came in second at 18.1 per cent, and difficult economic conditions came in third among local issues. Price hikes and high living costs registered 9.5 per cent, followed by corruption and favouritism at 7.4 per cent, Petra reported.

Regionally, crises and wars are thought to be the most urgent issues at 21.1 per cent, followed by Jerusalem, the Palestinian cause and the “Deal of the Century” at 16 per cent. Difficult economic conditions in the region were third at 13.4 per cent, followed by safety, security and stability at 11.8 per cent.

Internationally, Jerusalem, the Palestinian cause and the "Deal of the Century" are considered the most pressing issues at 16.9 per cent. Wars and conflicts followed at 16.4 per cent, and difficult economic conditions at 10.6 per cent. Around 36.8 per cent said that they are unaware of the most urgent issues facing the international community. 

AMMAN — The Development and Promotion of Mediterranean Sustainable Adventure Tourism (MEDUSA) project has been launched in Jordan with an estimated total cost of 3.3 million euros, according to a Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) statement.

RSCN and Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) on Monday announced that the three-year long project will be funded by the financing programme ENI CBC Med, with contributions estimated at 2.9 million euros, while partners have pledged to cover 400,000 euros.   

Four Mediterranean countries including  Spain, Italy, Tunisia and Lebanon will also see the launch of the project, the statement said.

JITOA President Awni Kawar said that MEDUSA aims at developing and promoting adventure tourism, which grew by 195 per cent between 2010 and 2014, adding that the project will contribute in organising the sector through addressing challenges in this arena, as well as generating improved adventure tourism products, which would result in creating new jobs.

Besides building the capacities of local communities, the project presents an opportunity to transform the region’s adventure tourism into a sustainable model, he said, noting that the project in the Kingdom will be implemented in partnership with the Tourism Ministry and the Jordan Tourism Board, among other tourism sector representatives.

The project entails conducting studies on adventure tourism in the Kingdom and providing technical and material support to services providers, along with helping them in marketing the new destinations regionally and globally to attract tourists throughout the year, he was quoted in the statement as saying.

RSCN Director General Yehya Khaled said that MEDUSA will implement a marketing strategy to promote the new destinations, adding that, among the long-term goals set to develop the adventure tourism sector, a competitive programme to offer new services and provide training to operators and tour guides will be outlined.