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AMMAN —  The women football match to be held at the Dead Sea next month will "send a message to change society's perceptions about women’s sports" and raise the standards expected from female athletes, said Erin Blankenship, the co-founder of the Equal Playing Field (EPF). 

During a press conference held in Amman on Monday, EPF unveiled the date of their football game to be held at the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, located over 400 metres below sea level.

The first of its kind worldwide, the match will be held also ahead of the coming Women Asian Cup to take place in the Kingdom next month.  

“Jordan is hosting the biggest women competition in Asia, involving the top teams from the continent such as China, Japan, Australia and Jordan,” Blankenship said.  

Last June, EPF set the Guinness World Record for the highest women football match ever played after two all-women teams competed at the top of Kilimanjaro.

Haneen Khateeb, who will be among the Jordanian female footballers, recalled when she and her teammate Yasmeen Shabsough were the only Jordanian women to participate in the Kilimanjaro match. 

“It was amazing to know that HRH Prince Ali was proud of us. Then, we also learned that we achieved something not only for our names but also for all fellow women,” she added. 

A pitch has been constructed at the Dead Sea under the directives of HRH Prince Ali, in order to host the historic match. It will later be available for the area's residents, Khateeb noted.  

Ahead of the Cup, women footballers will play three exhibition matches across the country under the patronage of Prince Ali, in addition to running four football camps for women and girls in rural and urban locations, according to a statement by the organisers. 

Khateeb noted that 30 women from 22 countries will take part in this project, which will cover six areas around the Kingdom. 

Besides challenging gender inequality in sports, EPF also aims to feature positive female role models, especially in countries where women’s participation in sport remains a taboo, and to encourage social acceptance as athletes through football. 

AMMAN — A concert-reading event gathered 480 people on Sunday night at the Intercontinental hotel, as part of the Fete de la Francophonie 2018, a month-long celebration of the French language across Jordan.

Organised by the French and Lebanese embassies in Amman, in cooperation with the French Institute (IFJ) and the SGBJ, the event included an eclectic mix of musical pieces interspersed with readings of Franco-Lebanese illustrator Lamia Ziadé's book "Oh night, O my eyes".

The product of a five-year research, the illustrated novel, subtitled "Cairo/Beirut/Damascus/Jerusalem", explores the Golden Era of the arts in the Arab world, highlighting the remarkable lives of its most famous singers and dancers such as Oum Kalthoum, Asmahan or Fairouz.

"The concert was a musical journey through the history of the Middle East and its great voices from Abdelhalim to Fairouz and many others. Tonight, we celebrated Arabic singers acclaimed from Cairo to Paris, based on the book written in French by an artist born in this region: this is the diversity and richness of the Francophone world," French Ambassador to Jordan David Bertolotti told The Jordan Times.

Pierre Casanova, a French teacher at the University of Petra, started off by reading an excerpt of Lamie's book exploring Asmahan's personal journey. His address was followed by the Arabic version of the excerpt, read by Marwan Gharaibeh, press attaché and translator at the French embassy.

Palestinian singer Laila Sabbagh then took over the stage, echoing Lamie's words through an interpretation of Asmahan's "Emta Ha Taaraf" song, along with her four accompanying musicians. 

"We are very proud of Lamia Ziade whose work represents what is finest from Lebanon: a magical blend between East and West," said Lebanese Ambassador to Jordan Tracy Chamoun, adding "the concert recital, which combined her artistry with the performance of a collection of songs from the musical legends of Lebanon was a great event that showed the richness and proud history of both our French and Arabic culture."

The dual event included songs by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Farid Al Atrach, Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Leila Murad, Souad Mohamed, Nour Al Houda, Sabah, Dalida and Fairouz.

"Our idea was to give a French-Lebanese literary and musical dimension to the Francophonie Month as Lebanon is one of the most active countries in promoting the French language in the region," said Stephane Delaporte, director of the IFJ, adding "France is a country that has always been interested in the classical Arab musical heritage," citing Radio France and the Institute of the Arab World's first publication in 1990 of the "Arab music archives. Cairo Congress 1932.” 

The musical performances were accompanied by some of the 400 illustrations designed by Lamie and included in her book.

Members of the audience expressed their emotions to hear again these songs dating from the golden age. "I was enveloped, both by the voice of Laila Sabbagh but also by the illustrations of Lamia that were projected on the walls. It took me back to the atmosphere of the time and revived the time of my childhood," said a French teacher who attended the concert.

AMMAN — Jordan on Monday strongly condemned the Sunday night ballistic missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi militias against Riyadh and other Saudi cities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The missile was intercepted by Saudi air forces. Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani stressed Jordan’s support for Saudi Arabia in defending itself against Houthi militia attacks, renewing Jordan’s condemnation of all military actions threatening civilians and Saudi Arabia’s stability.

Momani, who is also the government’s spokesperson, reiterates Jordan’s support to Saudi Arabia in protecting its national security. He added that Jordan calls on all warring parties in Yemen to engage in negotiations that will lead to a peaceful Resoulution.

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) on Monday recommended that the amendments made by the Lower House’s Labour Committee to Article 21 of the Labour Law be revisited, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The recommendation followed the parliamentary Labour Committee’s proposed amendment to Article 21 of the Labour Law which suggests an increase in the number of annual paid leaves granted to employees in the public and private sectors.

The committee recommended that the number of annual leaves is increased from 14 days to 21 days for employees who worked less than five years with the same employer and from 21 to 30 days for employees who exceeded 5 years of work with the same employer.

AMMAN — The King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) has recently concluded a training workshop on tobacco dependence treatment (TDT) that lasted from March 18 to 22, a statement by KHCC said. 

This five-day course focused on building the capacity and competence of participants to offer effective TDT through a combination of practical exercises and case studies. 

The workshop came as part of KHCC’s programme, the only programme outside the US that is internationally accredited by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programmes. 

Director General of KHCC Assem Mansour stated that chemical addiction to nicotine is not only what makes smoking addictive but a combination of behavioural habits, emotional and psychological factors which makes this type of addiction complex.

In a KHCC statement to The Jordan Times, Mansour stressed that the treatment of this addiction should take into account all these combined factors to achieve the best results in helping smokers quit.

He also highlighted the centre's continuous efforts in the fight against tobacco addiction to create a generation of healthy young people who can build a decent future to enhance economic, social, human and health development locally and in the Arab world.

Director of the Cancer Control Office Feras Hawari said that the programme is comprehensive and evidence-informed, noting that it is delivered by experienced hands-on tobacco treatment specialists from the Cancer Control Office, according to the statement. 

By the end of the course, participants are able to recognise the constituents of tobacco products and their effect on the body; understand tobacco dependence and the relevant psychological and social factors; identify the gains of quitting on the short and long term and the evidence behind proven treatment interventions. In addition trainees become capable of implementing skills relevant to conducting the initial assessment, performing counselling, prescribing medications, and developing a customised treatment plan, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — Acknowledging the importance of investments in overcoming Jordan’s economic challenges, an expert has published the second version of his book reviewing the history and current situation of the investment sector's development in the Kingdom.

Speaking at the book launch, held at The Arab Thought Forum (ATF) on Sunday, author Akram Karmool, president of the National Association for Investors Protection (NAIP), said that the book outlined the various development stages of investment in the country’s production, trade, and service sectors.

Mohammad Abu Hamour, ATF’s secretary general, expressed his concerns about economic challenges and "worrying" economic indicators.

As unemployment rates have reached the highest level in the history of Jordan — with unemployment sitting at 18.5 per cent, poverty and population growth rates doubling, economic growth rates retreating, and a trade balance deficit — creative solutions are needed, he said. 

Abu Hamour added that an analysis of investment and investor-related issues throughout the history of the Kingdom would help in finding solutions to the sector's problems.

“We are seeking to create an attractive investment environment to replace one which has become unfriendly to investors,” Karmool noted. 

Bureaucracy, unqualified workers in the public sector, high production costs and poor coordination between different institutions concerned with developing investment in Jordan, such as the Jordan Investment Commission and NAIP, are the main factors weakening investment, he said. 

Karmool added that multi-sourced and inconsistent information about various economic sectors are major concerns for investors, urging for the establishment of a data bank easily accessible to investors. 

MP Kheirallah Abu Saalik, Lower House Economy and Investment Committee Chairman, said the book was "comprehensive and suitable" as an academic source for economy students due to its historical review of the rise and fall of investment sectors.

Karmool's first version of the book, “The Development of Economic Investment Sectors in Jordanian History”, was published in 2008 and data are updated every three years to ensure it remains an economic reference for students and researchers.

DEAD SEA — World leaders, activists, youth and children on Monday gathered at the Dead Sea to create an action plan for over 263 million children currently out of the schools due to economic, social or political factors.

The Second Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit 2018, which was held under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah, aims to ensure that children in the most vulnerable parts of the world are free, safe, educated and healthy. (see story on page 1)

Co-hosted by HRH Prince Ali at the King Hussein Convention Centre, the two-day event witnessed the attendance of Noble Prize laureates, political leaders, diplomats, decision- makers, international aid representatives, students and children.

The participants will work on proposing mechanisms to develop practical and sustainable action to provide education and healthcare for refugee and displaced children, safeguard their rights and protect them against exploitation and abuse.

During the opening session held under the title “Building a Safe, Educated and Healthy Childhood”, Noble Peace Laureate Tawakkol Karman from Yemen, said that the problem lies with the implementation of international conventions and treaties related to children. 

“Justice is absent because major countries do not respect international treaties and allow war criminal to go unpunished for their crimes against women and children,” Karman said.

 Former president of Ireland Mary Robinson touched on the issue of the trauma undergone by children victims of forced migration due to the atrocities of armed conflicts.

“We need to address the trauma children face and engage them in different activities that would help them regain their self-esteem and confidence,” Robinson said.

Former foreign minister of Algeria Lakhdar Brahimi said he was pleased with the services and atmosphere present during his visit to the Zaatari refugee camp.

“We are grateful for Jordan because the atmosphere at the [Zaatari] camp reflects solidarity and respect of the international community,” he said.

Brahimi, who was the joint special representative of the UN and Arab League for Syria, urged the international community to end the conflicts that “could be damaging to children, women and men”.

Youth delegates from several countries around the world also addressed the gathering, such as Syrian Mohamad Jounde who said “I remember checking the schools every day to see if they had a place available, but without success. I hated not being able to go to school so I built one. I wanted to make sure that Syrian children could continue their education.”

Jounde, who is winner of the International Children’s Peace Prize, said he was forced to flee to Lebanon when he was 12.

Youth delegate from India Shubham Rathore said he started working at 13 years old “because my family was poor and could not afford food”.

Now 21, Rathore said he was later rescued from child labour and was able to finish his education as an electrical engineer, urging world leaders to safeguard the rights of children by putting the necessary laws into force.

“I went to school, became aware of my rights and learned to fight and demand my rights and the rights of other children… Today I fight against the exploitation of children and I fight for their rights,” Rathore added.  

Coming from Peru, Khiabet Salazar highlighted an initiative in her country that encourages young people to defend the rights of children and help ensure they receive the education they deserve.  

The Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit was first held in 2016, hosted by Indian president Pranab Mukherjee. 21 Nobel Laureates and world leaders joined 400 distinguished thinkers and influencers from academia, business, entertainment, government and civil society, all committed to working together to prioritise the world’s children in their spheres of influence. 

 Laureates and Leaders for Children is a unique movement that mobilises Nobel Laureates, youth, celebrities and other leading thinkers and influencers across disciplines and generations who are champions for children, according to web sources. 

 The movement was conceived as an engaging platform to establish the groundwork for a more sustainable and forward-thinking leadership capable of safeguarding the future of the world’s children, particularly in the face of global challenges and chronic social predicaments impacting communities worldwide. 

AMMAN —Under the patronage of HRH Princess Basma, the first international conference “woman’s entrepreneurship and leadership between challenges and achievements”, kicked off on Monday.

The conference, held under the motto “Arab Woman Can”, aims to shed light on the role of Arab women entrepreneurs and efforts to empower them in marginalised communities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra reported. 

The event, organized by Itaam Foundation for Training and Development, will discuss challenges facing women in the Arab region, their success stories, and the national women empowerment strategies, according to Petra.

During the opening ceremony, the princess stressed the capabilities of Arab women to achieve success in leadership despite the challenges they face, adding, “We all have to work on providing a supporting environment for woman to empower and motivate her in a way that would enhance her abilities to reach opportunities and partake in decision-making.”

Her Royal Highness reviewed the expertise of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, its role in enhancing local development, stimulating social participation, and forming local women committees.

The opening ceremony included a panel discussion on the achievements of Arab women in the field of leadership in addition to initiatives that aim to support woman and enhance her role in labour markets.

AMMAN — Government Coordinator for Human Rights Basil Tarawneh on Monday said that the Kingdom is concluding its activities towards the presentation of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Human Rights 2018, stressing that “it is the government’s responsibility to address the deficiencies still present in our legislation and commit to a participatory approach based on dialogue under the directions of His Majesty King Abdullah”.

The remarks came during the Second National Consultative Forum on Jordan’s Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights 2018, organised by the Eye Jordan Coalition in cooperation with the Government Coordinator for Human Rights. 

During the opening of the forum, Tarawneh praised “the work of all national institutions, alliances and civil society organisations (CSOs),” thanking them for “the input and recommendations provided to decision makers, which the government looks forward to putting in practice”.

The meeting saw the participation of dozens of members of the human rights community in Jordan, including representatives of the Insan Coalition, the JOCAT Coalition, the Iradet Shabab Coalition and the National Centre for Human Rights (NHRC).

In a speech on behalf of the CSOs present at the forum, director of the Al Quds Centre for Political Studies Oraib Rantawi said: “This encounter proves that the Jordanian civil society is a key player in our public life with its effective presence,” adding that the forum “shows the willingness of the government to cooperate and interact with the citizens”.

“However, this should not conceal the challenges that we are still facing,” Rantawi continued, stressing the need to institutionalise the relationship between the civil society and the government to “end with the constraints that still prevent organisations from carrying on with their role”.

In the same vein, NHRC Commisioner General Musa Brizat stressed: “If Jordan can present a good image of itself to the Human Rights Council [HRC] in Geneva, we will be able to say that we have succeeded.”

“However, building a real partnership should consist in something more than posing a nice picture, and we shall keep on working together to achieve our own goals as a country,” he continued.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan Andres Pedersen commended all participants for “coming together for this UPR process,” stressing “the invaluable role that civil society plays in making human rights a full reality”.

For his part, Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah noted that “this encounter is not just for the sake of Geneva. We are here today because we care about human rights, and the satisfaction of Jordanian people at all levels”.

“The essence of our progress is in dialogue, and it is for the sake of dialogue that we are here today,” Maaytah continued, stressing the “real political will of the Jordanian leadership and the importance of reaching agreements on the issues we need to work on”.

Jordan’s 2018 UPR is set to be presented in Geneva later this year, providing an overview of the actions that the Kingdom has taken to improve its human rights situation and fulfill its obligations to the HRC.

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) is in the process of floating a tender to lift another batch of hundreds of abandoned vehicles from the capital’s streets, according to a municipal official.

“We are going to a float a tender for the removal of hundreds of already spotted abandoned cars. The tender involves requesting tow-away services for the removal of the abandoned cars,” Raed Haddadin, head of GAM’s construction monitoring department said.

GAM teams have already spotted 450 abandoned vehicles in various parts of Amman, Haddadin said, noting that they should be removed within two weeks.

The effort seeks to rid the streets of the capital of causes of visual and environmental pollution by towing away all cars left on the sides of the streets to a guarded location east of the capital, according to GAM.

The municipality started the initiative in 2011 due to the excessive number of abandoned cars left for years across the city.

“Since the launch of the campaign, the municipality has towed away over 7,000 cars, with the majority of the cars being removed from industrial areas around the capital,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

 The initiative started with the aim of improving the appearance and cleanliness of the capital, but later became a regulated effort after the municipality realised that huge numbers of abandoned cars were parked on the streets, with some of them being used by young people for negative practices, such as drug use. 

In addition, wrecked vehicles also take up part of the road and create traffic jams in some cases, according to GAM, which said that the abandoned cars are either left because they are damaged and rusty or belong to several people as part of an inheritance.

 “During the past year alone, we removed 2,250 abandoned cars,” Haddadin said.

 In the clean-up campaign, implemented in cooperation with the Central Traffic Department, GAM teams locate abandoned vehicles and notify their owners of the need to remove them. They mark vehicles with stickers informing their owners to remove them within a 14-day period before they are towed away.

 If the owners do not comply, the abandoned vehicles are towed to a six-dunum impound lot near the Ring Road. Owners can retrieve their impounded vehicles after paying fees for transport as well as fees for each day their car was impounded, depending on the size of the vehicle, according to the municipality.