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AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Thursday presided over the closing session of the Jordanian-American Military Cooperation Committee meetings.

The closing session was held at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) headquarters, and was attended by Kathryn Wheelbarger, the US’ acting assistant secretary of defence for international security affairs, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Freihat thanked the US government for its continuous support of Jordan, and stressed the “depth of strategic and fraternal relations that the two countries share”.

He added that the Jordanian and US militaries would continue cooperating in pursuit of regional and international peace and security, Petra reported.

“Jordan holds a special place in the eyes of the US, and the continuation of cooperation between the two countries is a strategic priority for the US,” Wheelbarger said.

The committee’s meetings, held over a period of two days, aimed at enhancing the frameworks of cooperation, collective efforts and the exchange of military expertise between the two countries. They also tackled potential ways to bolster US-military support to the JAF.

The closing session was also attended by a number of high-ranking Jordanian and US military officials.

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz and Italian President Sergio Mattarella held talks on Thursday focused on enhancing bilateral ties, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East.

Razzaz and Mattarella, during the discussions attended by ministers and officials from both sides, expressed their keenness to open wider scopes of cooperation in various fields, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The prime minister welcomed the Italian president’s “important visit” to Jordan, stressing that it provides an opportunity to develop bilateral relations and a “distinguished partnership” between the two countries.

He added that the visit was an opportunity to discuss several issues of mutual concern, and that Amman and Rome see eye to eye on enhancing partnerships.

The premier expressed the Kingdom’s aspiration to support both countries’ efforts to improve regional security and stability.

Razzaz touched on possible opportunities of cooperation between Jordan and Italy in the economic, commercial, tourist, cultural and agricultural sectors.

During the meeting, President Mattarella expressed his appreciation for His Majesty King Abdullah’s invitation to visit the Kingdom and voiced his admiration of King Abdullah’s vision and his “wisdom and balance” in dealing with regional crises.

The president stressed that stable political and economic conditions have encouraged Italy to boost its cooperation with Jordan, referring to Rome’s willingness to expand cooperation in the political, economic and agricultural sectors.

He added that Italy was keen to benefit from the Kingdom’s geographical location as a gateway for cooperation with other regional countries and to jointly contribute to regional reconstruction efforts.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi and his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi also met on Wednesday to discuss implementing the outcomes of His Majesty King Abdullah and Mattarella’s talks earlier on Wednesday.

The two ministers said that they covered means to coordinate both countries’ stances towards bilateral, regional and international issues, mainly efforts to realise peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution.

During the meeting, the Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh delivered a presentation on possible fields of cooperation pertaining to investment and the possibility of Italian companies taking part in reconstruction efforts in neighbouring countries, as well as increasing the Kingdom’s fertiliser exports to Italy.

He also touched on cooperation in the tourism sector, noting that the number of flights to Italy would increase next summer.

The Italian president and his daughter Laura concluded their visit to the Kingdom late on Thursday, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge on Wednesday held a celebration for Jordan’s two winning teams, which were selected as national finalists to move on to its global competition and receive financial support and mentorship to turn their ideas into reality.

Generation Unlimited, a new challenge by UNICEF, aims to connect every young person with a quality education, training or employment by 2030, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times. 

After a nationwide search last year, Generation Unlimited announced the two teams made up of young people aged 14-24, which will go on to compete at the international finals.

Bully Free, an app designed by one of the teams, hopes to “build a support system” for school children who are bullied, according to Farah Qonaish, one of the team’s members.

The mobile application was designed to support victims of bullying through referrals to online counselling, as well as provide a platform to report incidents to school personnel. It also seeks to engage with perpetrators as a preventative measure, Qonaish told The Jordan Times.

“We probed into why teenagers often skip school. Some said they had an issue with a teacher or there was a school regulation they wanted to avoid, but others did it to avoid bullying,” Qonaish said. “Bullying was the aspect we could make a change in.”

As well as being shortlisted, each project won $1,000 in funding and mentorship to grow their ideas. 

The teams were selected by the Ministry of Youth, UNICEF and the Jordan River Foundation. The global winners of the challenge will be announced on April 12, according to the statement. 

The second project, called Volunteers with Disabilities, was created by a group of young people from the northern governorates. 

The team’s idea also included an application; one that matches people with and without disabilities to volunteer opportunities in their communities.

 “At our university, we had a student on a wheelchair who had a hard time getting to her classes. Someone suggested we create a Whatsapp group so she could message us when she was done and find someone free to help her,” 19-year-old Volunteers with Disabilities team member Moua'ayad Alrifa'ai said. “That was the inspiration for this app. We felt happy helping that student, and we wanted to let everyone enjoy the feeling of contributing to the community, including people with disabilities.”

UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins said: “Young people have the creativity and ideas needed to solve many global issues and build a better future for everyone. With the right support, young people like these inspiring innovators in Jordan can make a positive contribution to both their communities and the world.”

Following the “high level of talent on display throughout the country”, an additional 50 young people were also chosen for support to develop their initiatives further, the statement added.

AMMAN — The Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development (QRF) on Thursday launched a free mobile application to promote the development of social skills in young children called “Karim and Jana-Our World”.

The application aims to introduce children to basic social skills and increases their readiness for school, while also raising parents’ awareness of their children’s socio-emotional development, according to a statement sent by the foundation.

The application’s launch followed the QRF’s first Karim and Jana app, which focused on developing children’s numeracy skills through the interactive adventures of characters, Karim and Jana, the statement said. Since its release in 2017, the first Karim and Jana application has reached 300,000 users and been played over 3 million times.

The new application is part of the QRF’s efforts to support early childhood education and to bridge the educational gap among Jordanian children caused by low enrolment rates in kindergartens and nurseries compared to other middle-income countries.

Through a series of stories, songs and games designed for children between the ages of three and six, the application aims to promote self-confidence, self-awareness, relationship building, emotional and behavioural management, health and an understanding of the world, the statement added.

The application also offers practical tips to parents on how to engage with children through learning activities.

“Since launching the numeracy-focused Karim and Jana application, we have grown further convinced of the urgent need to tap into the mobile learning revolution and provide more free educational resources in the Arabic language,” said QRF CEO Bassem Saad.

“Our children in Jordan suffer from an immense gap in opportunities for early childhood education, but hopefully, through technological innovations, this gap can be bridged and equal educational resources will be provided to children across the country,” he added.

In conjunction with the application’s launch, the QRF also plans to conduct awareness workshops for parents on the importance of early childhood development.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan on Thursday said that stronger cooperation is needed between educational and vocational institutions to meet the market’s demands.

“We also need to work on developing the vocational and technical sector by establishing funds and commissions to develop youth’s skills so that they can initiate innovative and pioneering projects,” Prince Hassan, the chairman of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), said.

The prince also stressed the need to “set our national, local and regional priorities to strengthen the concept of specialised work and to introduce students to what [best] suits their qualifications instead of being ignorant about the needs of the labour market”.

The prince made the remarks during a ceremony honouring the winners of the El Hassan Bin Talal Award for Scientific Excellence.

Such funds and commissions, Prince Hassan added, should also focus on education for the individuals, “to ensure that they become more productive and knowledgeable about good citizenship concepts, since the real capital for us is the human capital”.

Prince Hassan also touched on education reform in Jordan, saying that it should include a wide range of social aspects such as development, education, religion and the media.

The ceremony, held at the Royal Cultural Centre, was also attended by HRH Princess Sarvath, HRH Prince Raad Bin Zeid, HRH Princess Sumaya Bint El Hassan, and HRH Prince Mired Bin Raad.

Secretary General of the HCST Khalid Shraideh also addressed the gathering and said that the vocational and technical sector in Jordan is one of the most important economic tools to “prepare and rehabilitate youth to meet the needs of the labour market”.

“It is of extreme importance to spread awareness and media use in a positive manner with regards to the culture of vocational and technical education among society,” Shraideh stressed.

At the end of the ceremony, Prince Hassan handed out awards to the first, second and third place winners.

The first place award, worth JD7,000, was granted to the Vocational Training Corporation for two of its projects called “TWEED-Promotion of Training to Improve Efficiency in the Water and Energy Sector Project” and “Integrate and Train Persons with Disabilities Professionally for Employment”.

The second place award for JD5,000 was given to the Mosaic Art & Restoration Institute for a project called “training of Jordanians with special needs and Syrians on mosaic crafts and rehabilitation for work”.

Sahab Secondary Comprehensive School for Girls clinched the JD3,000 award for their “Development of the School agricultural Environment” programme.

The El Hassan Bin Talal Award for Scientific Excellence is granted to national institutions that have contributed — through academic, scientific or technological achievements — to the development of education and training.

AMMAN — The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) and International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security (ICCSS), based in Poland, on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on future cooperation in the fields of chemical security and safety during a two-day seminar that launched on Tuesday.

Under the patronage of Royal Engineering Corps Director Brig. Gen. Khaled Shanteer, organised in partnership with the ICCSS, the event addressed means of enhancing Jordanian chemical safety and security capabilities. Furthermore, participants explored mechanisms for assisting Jordan to become an international and regional hub in this domain.

A number of experts and specialists from 35 countries and international organisations participated in the seminar, along with Jordanian participants from ministries, security agencies, governmental institutions and respective entities, according to a JAF statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The participants stressed the pivotal role of the JAF, represented by the engineering corps, and highlighted developments in the field.

AMMAN — The Jordan Packaging Exhibition (JOPEX) concluded at the Amman International Exhibitions Centre on Friday, scoring a 4,000-visitor turnout up until Thursday, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The four-day event featured the participation of various industries, including plastic and paper packaging foodstuff, chemical and others.

The expo brought together packaging experts, designers, researchers and buyers from different parts of the world; Arab Gulf countries, China, Egypt and beyond, to showcase their work, the statement said.

JOPEX was organised in cooperation with the EU’s Jordan Action for the Development of Enterprises Project and Eastern Amman Investors Industrial Association (EAIIA).

EAIIA Chairman Mohammad Zaki Saudi said: “The packing, printing and packaging industry is complementary to a large segment of Jordanian industry. We can see that the Jordanian packaging industry is shifting to become the most competitive in the region.”

Around 50 exhibitors participated, the statement highlighted.

AMMAN — The Foreign Ministry’s operations room at the Jordanian Embassy in Khartoum is continuously following up on the conditions of Jordanians in Sudan, which is witnessing nationwide protests, Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah said on Thursday.

The ministry called on Jordanians residing in Sudan to stay away from locations of protests to ensure their safety, Qudah was quoted in a ministry statement as saying.

In case of emergency, Jordanians can contact the embassy in Khartoum at 00249901699416 or 00249915491874, or the ministry’s operations centre at 00962795497777, around the clock, he added.

AMMAN — Jordanian medicines are exported to more than 60 countries, including the US and Europe, Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) Director General Hayel Obeidat said on Thursday.

Delivering a speech at the inauguration ceremony of the fourth conference to match the requirements of bioequivalence, Obeidat said that pharmaceutical industries are important for the economy of any country.

He added that the event, co-organised by the JFDA and the Arab League’s Arab Co. for Drug Industries and Medical Appliances, allows Jordan to maintain its pioneering level in the pharmaceuticals industry and allows the JFDA and its partners to implement legislation that conforms to the international developments in this sector, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abul Saud on Thursday inspected the Mujib Dam and the Waleh Dam heightening project, currently underway to increase its capacity to 25 million cubic metres.

The project will be complete by the end of next year, at a cost of JD28 million and is currently 45-per cent complete.

The dam will be 60 metres higher once the project is complete. In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Abul Saud said the government is seeking to implement development projects to achieve water security within the Kingdom.