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AMMAN — The Zakat Fund paid JD200,000 for the release of 386 women who were imprisoned after failing to pay back their loans in 2017, an official said on Thursday.

The release came as part of the fund's programme “Sahm Al Gharimat” (funds allocated for indebted women) which aims to release women who cannot pay for their freedom, the fund’s director general, Abed Smeirat, told The Jordan Times.

According to Islamic law, or Sharia, Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, a tax that requires paying 2.5 per cent of what a Muslim owns in cash money, gold, silver, cattle, farms and rentable assets, in alms.

People who are burdened with debt that has been obtained for reasonable purposes are one of the eight categories of groups entitled to receive Zakat money, which is, in principle, managed by the state and is the only type of tax Muslim citizens are required to pay.  

The fund's board of directors, chaired by Awqaf Minister Wael Arabiyat, has allocated JD500,000 for the programme during 2017-2018, Smeirat said.

He pointed out that the fund has set a number of rules to regulate the process of selecting the beneficiaries.

"The top priority is to pay the debts of women who are detained for financial issues and have no criminal records," said Smeirat, adding that the payment’s upper limit is JD1,500 for each beneficiary and for one time.

He noted that the fifth imbursement extended by the fund on December 10 will not be the last and the plan will remain in place throughout 2018. 

The Zakat Fund does not deal with individual cases but rather carries out its own studies on a group of cases prior to selection, the official explained, underscoring the fund’s cooperation with the Public Security Department in this regard.

Smeirat added that the fund, in cooperation with the Awqaf Ministry, also finances enterprises for underprivileged families in an effort to “transform beneficiaries into self-reliant people who contribute to development”.

The fund’s chief called on the affluent to pay their Zakat to help the fund implement its charitable projects, noting that the number of enterprises for the underprivileged implemented by the fund during 2017 reached 75 with a cost of JD180,000, in addition to 35 enterprises that are currently in the pipeline.

The enterprises financed by the fund include small businesses such as pastry shops, houseware stores, beauty salons, garment stores, electrical appliances shops, groceries and confectionery shops, according to Smeirat. 

The fund’s women initiative has not been the only one of its kind launched in Jordan. Last year, dozens of Jordanian women who were in prison for failing to repay debts were released during the fasting month of Ramadan following a fund raising campaign by a police radio. 

AMMAN — An agreement was signed recently launching the Fourth Mediterranean Dialogue Trust Fund with Jordan, according to a NATO statement.

Building upon the experience gained and the achievements accomplished through the previous Mediterranean Dialogue Trust Funds for Jordan for the elimination of explosive remnants of war and for ammunition stockpile management, the Fourth Trust Fund project will help the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army build a self-sustaining ammunition demilitarisation capacity, the statement, posted on the NATO's website recently, indicated.

This will include support to the Demilitarisation Centre, Propellant Surveillance, and Destruction Recycling capabilities, to the benefit of the civilian population.

In December 2007, NATO launched the first ever Mediterranean Dialogue Trust Fund with Jordan to assist this partner country with the elimination of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), through the funding of a survey and by delivering ERW location and search equipment to the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army.

A second Trust Fund was launched in November 2009 with two initiatives. The first one was the funding of mine and explosive remnants of war education programme in the three provinces of Ajloun, Jerash and Zarqa, for the safety of the civilian population. 

The second involved purchasing, installing and commissioning equipment for the ammunition demilitarisation facility in Zarqa, as well as providing technical and managerial training where required, according to the statement.

The third Trust Fund for Jordan which was launched in 2014 is an "excellent example" of the practical work the alliance does with its partners to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security,
the statement said. 

The Trust Fund project supports the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army in their goal to attain a 3 per cent female representation and to offer women wider career opportunities through supporting the recruitment of female officers and gender training.

NATO indicated that the Fourth Trust Fund marks the continuity of this new kind of cooperation, where civilian and military expertise is combined with the contribution to the security and safety of the civilian population, and the enhancement of the operational and technical capacity of the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army.

The statement indicated that   permanent representative of Spain, Ambassador Nicolás Pablo Pascual De La Parte, the Ambassador of Switzerland Christian Meuwly and the Acting General Manager of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency Paul Hammond, signed the deal at the NATO Headquarters.

The signing ceremony, was opened by Nicola de Santis, head of the Middle East and North Africa Section, NATO Political Affairs and Security Policy Division and by Major General Nasser Al Alathamneh, chief of Staff for Strategic Planning and Defence Resources of the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army.

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday in New Delhi discussed with Indian Minister of Trade Suresh Prabhu and State Minister for External Affairs M.J. Akbar bilateral relations between Jordan and India.

Safadi and Prabhu stressed both countries’ keenness on boosting trade and investment cooperation, outlining measures and deals that Jordan and India are working on to improve economic cooperation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

They also stressed eagerness to implement the outcomes of the Jordanian-Indian economic committee meetings that were held in New Delhi last July.

During his meeting with Akbar, Safadi discussed regional developments and efforts to deal with the Middle East’s crises, especially the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is the base of tension in the region.

He reiterated the importance of solving the conflict on the basis of the two-state solution in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The top diplomat voiced Jordan’s appreciation for India’s vote at the UN General Assembly against the US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

On Thursday, Safadi is scheduled to hold talks with Sushma Swaraj, minister of external affairs and deliver a speech at the Indian Council of World Affairs.   

AMMAN — Trans-boundary water cooperation on the Jordan River Basin between Jordan and Israel scored 56.67 under the Water Cooperation Quotient (WCQ) 2017 that quantifies the quality of cooperation within trans-boundary river basins on a global basis.

All riparian relations that have WCQ 50 and higher have a relatively peaceful and stable relationship with each other, according to the WCQ 2017, which indicated that riparian nations may have diplomatic issues or minor disagreements but absolutely zero risk of war.

The WCQ 2017 also measured the level of cooperation on the Yarmouk River Basin between Jordan and Israel, where cooperation scored 20.

The WCQ 2017 indicated that when a country has a WCQ score less than 23.33, it could be at a risk of war, and that it is when there is only technical cooperation between countries.

But in the case of the Yarmouk River Basin, the WCQ 2017 explained that since 2011, Syria has been unable to attend to its trans-boundary water relations due to the protracted armed conflict, indicating that any two countries not engaged in active water cooperation “do not necessarily go to war”.

The WCQ 2017, prepared and released by the Strategic Foresight Group (SFG), said that when a country has a WCQ of 23.33 or higher and less than 50, it shows signs of peace building because it is transcending the realm of technical cooperation.

“It is the first barometer in the world to measure trans-boundary water cooperation between countries that share rivers and other water resources. The WCQ applied 10 parameters to compute the WCQ of a riparian nation,” Anumita Raj, senior programme manager at (SFG), told The Jordan Times.

The 10 parameters have been applied to measure the performance of 286 shared river basins published by the Global Environment Facility, she said, noting that 231 of which are analysed in detail.

“The WCQ shows that any two countries engaged in an active water cooperation do not go to war for any reason at all,” Raj said.

SFG, a think tank based in India that advises governments and institutions around the world on managing future challenges, released its first WCQ edition in 2015 in Senegal. The first edition quantified the degree of cooperation between neighbouring countries using 10 parameters ranging from the presence of an agreement and commission, frequency of ministerial meetings, and technical and scientific projects to the actual functioning of the trans-boundary mechanism.

SFG’s “Water Cooperation for a Secure World, Focus on the Middle East” report said that neighbours aiming to achieve water cooperation should strive for a quotient of 50 per cent or more, indicating that Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Turkey and the Palestinian Territories all have cooperation quotients of less than 11 per cent with almost all their neighbours.

AMMAN — The Civil Coalition for Monitoring Elections and the Performance of Elected Councils (Rased) on Wednesday issued its final report on the municipal and governorate council elections.

The report included the voters’ percentage according to group ages, where it showed that voters between 18 and 30 years old constituted 33 per cent of the total voters, while 20 per cent of voters were 31 to 35 years old, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 Those who were over 60 years constituted 11.5 per cent of the total voters.

Municipalities with the highest voting ratio to the number of voters were Mafraq’s Bani Hashem Municipality with 88 per cent, followed by Karak’s Sultani Municipality with 87 per cent and Amman’s Amriyeh with 82 per cent.  

On the other hand, municipalities with the lowest voting rates were Zarqa Greater Municipality with 14.5 per cent, Greater Amman Municipality with 14.6 per cent and Zarqa’s Ruseifa Municipality with 21 per cent, according to the report.  

In the report, Rased recommended amending the electoral system in the Decentralisation Law, where voters have ballots that equal the number of seats at the constituency, and cancelling the appointment of members in governorate councils.

The report also recommended increasing the minimum representation of women in governorate council to 25 per cent of the total number of members at each council.

Rased suggested cancellation of polling booths at sports halls that witnessed overcrowding, where some citizens lost their right to vote, calling for unifying the age of those who can cast their ballots to include those who complete 18 years before 90 days of the voting day.

AMMAN — Scholarships for children of school teachers in Jordanian public universities funded by makruma (Royal benefaction) have reached around JD124 million since 2010, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.

According to statistics by the Ministry of Education, there is a "significant increase" in the volume of the ministry's spending in the provision of these grants.

The makruma for children of teachers is in recognition of the educators role in serving Jordan's development. The makruma has provided around 36,000 students with university education since 2010.

The number of teachers' children accepted in Jordanian universities for 2017/2018 through the makruma reached 3,558, according to the director of cultural affairs and scholarships at the Ministry of Education Mohammad Daaja.

AMMAN — The University of Jordan (UJ), German-Jordanian University (GJU), Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) and the Jordan University for Science and Technology (JUST) received the five-star category in the Jordan classification for universities, Higher Education Accreditation Commission President Bashir Zu’bi announced on Wednesday.

In a press conference, Zu'bi said that the classification aims at showing strengths and development areas of universities, encouraging universities to excel, and helping students choose universities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He added that the criteria for classification included education and learning, scientific research, graduates' quality and academic accreditations, among others.

AMMAN — Lower House Economy and Investment Committee Chairman Kheirallah Abu Saalik on Tuesday said that the committee, in cooperation with the Lower House initiative "Mubadara" are preparing for an investment conference, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a meeting with President of the Jordan Businessmen Association Hamdi Tabbaa, Abu Saalik said that the conference, which will be held at the Dead Sea, will highlight the advantages of the Jordanian economy and shed light on Jordanian human resources and expertise abroad.

They also reviewed challenges facing Jordanian businessmen. Tabbaa pointed out that the stability of legislations governing the commercial and industrial practices in Jordan play a vital role in attracting investment, in addition to offering economic advantages and opportunities to compete with regional countries trying to attract investors.

AMMAN — Labour Minister and Chairman of the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) Ali Ghezawi stressed the importance of training youth with capabilities and skills to join the Labour market, through programmes offered by the VTC, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Wednesday.

He pointed out the importance of training in the use of modern technologies and making use of available resources, in addition to enhancing skills related to communication, thinking and innovation, and problem solving.

During his visit to the Jordanian Korean Institute for Technology of the VTC in Zarqa, Ghezawi added that the government is working in accordance with plans and programmes to encourage students to move towards vocational education and training by reviewing current plans, in line with market needs and Jordan vision 2025. 

AMMAN — Work is under way on a technical assistance scheme supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to increase the effectiveness, quality and sustainability of a project to enhance the Deir Alla and Al Karameh water supply and sanitation, according to Flavia Palanza, director of neighbouring countries at the EIB.

The EIB has recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to provide a grant of up to 500, 000 euros for the provision of advisory and technical assistance to the project. The assistance aims at increasing the effectiveness, quality and sustainability of the project and enhancing its future developmental impact. The grant will be used to prepare the full technical, environmental, financial and economic study assessing feasibility of the project, she said in a recent e-mail interview with The Jordan Times.

The technical assistance started in October 2017 and is expected to end in mid-2018. The outcome of the EIB support will be a feasibility study with option identification and preliminary design for an upgrade of the water supply system as well as for a wastewater collection and treatment system. Depending on the outcome of the study, the following step will be discussing with the Jordanian government scenarios for financing the project, she added.

The population of Deir Alla and Al Karameh districts is currently around 85,000, including more than 6,000 refugees, and is expected to increase to 88,000 by 2035.

In these districts, water is supplied by a water purification plant using groundwater in Deir Alla. In Deir Alla, the existing water supply system was constructed in 1971 and is relatively old and in bad condition.  Furthermore, there is no piped sewerage system, with sewage being collected in leaky cesspits and septic tanks, Palanza noted. 

The technical assistance will prepare a technical and economic feasibility study for the upgrading of the water supply system and for the provision of a wastewater collection and treatment system to serve the population’s needs up to the year 2045, Palanza added.

"In doing so, it will explore possibilities to improve pressure management in the water supply system to reduce pipe leakages and minimise energy consumption. The feasibility study will also identify the best solution for a wastewater collection and treatment system in these districts," she said.

It will introduce an analysis on the demand and possibilities of reusing treated effluent and sludge, and it will consider climate resilience aspects in the project preparations. It will also assess the environmental and social impact of the project. 

The project will reduce ground water pollution in the Jordan valley, optimise the energy consumption for water supply, wastewater collection and treatment and improve the water supply security, and thus enhance the economic situation for agriculture and tourism. Ultimately, the project will improve the health and environmental situation of the people living in the area, Palanza said.

The project is supported by the Mediterranean Hot Spots Investment Programme (MeHSIP), funded by the European Union and managed by the EIB. It provides direct technical advice and support to promoters for the preparation of investment projects in the water and environmental sectors of the Southern Mediterranean Countries. 

The MeHSIP Steering Committee ensures that all selected projects are in line with the regional plans as well as the EU objectives. The committee brings together key stakeholder institutions including the European Commission, the Union for the Mediterranean, the EIB as well as the United Nations Environmental Programme — Mediterranean Action Plan. 

Palanza stressed that the EIB has been a "longstanding partner" of Jordan for more than 40 years. 

"Being the leading financier of water projects in the world, with almost 64 billion euros for some 1, 400 projects, we understand the importance of the water sector in the country. Jordan is ranked the fourth driest country in the world. Jordan’s climate is arid and semi-arid with short winters and long dry summers. Being fully aware of the challenges, the EIB has supported and financed several projects to secure clean water supply and management," she said.

Currently, the EIB is also working on the Wadi Al Arab Water System II project. In line with Jordan’s National Water Strategy, Wadi Al Arab Water System II will improve potable water for the growing population in the Northern Governorates of Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash and Mafraq. 

Demand for potable water in this area has significantly increased with the large number of Syrian refugees in the area. The EIB provided $54 million for the project which is financed in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Union Neighbourhood Investment Facility , she said.

The project will support treating and conveying 30 million cubic metres a year of fresh water from the King Abdullah Canal (KAC) — in the Northern Jordan Valley — to the Zabda Reservoir which serves the Northern Governorate of Irbid — the second largest by population of Jordan’s 12 governorates located 80 km north of Amman, Palanza noted.  

The EIB finance is used to build a raw water intake from the KAC, a new water treatment plant, pumping stations, and a 25.6 km transmission pipeline to convey the treated water from the water treatment plant to the Zabda Reservoir.