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AMMAN — Umniah has issued a statement confirming that it is not, nor has it in the past been, embroiled in any legal cases against government via the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The company also stated that it is not involved in any way in any legal battles between the government and other parties through the ICSID. The statement, a copy of which was e-mailed to The Jordan Times, emphasised that the Umniah brand, officially registered as “Umniah Mobile Company” has no affiliation with the company in question, Umniah Telecommunications and Technology, or its owners.

This statement was issued by Umniah to avoid any confusion resulting from the similarity in the names of both companies, noting that Umniah is owned and operated by Batelco Bahrain and operates in the Kingdom under existing rules and regulations.

Various media sources had reported that the government won a lawsuit filed by the previous owner of Umniah Telecommunications after a lengthy legal battle mediated by the ICSID, according to the statement.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Muna, patron for nursing and midwifery in the eastern mediterranean region and president of the Jordanian Nursing Council, on Monday attended a ceremony of the University of Jordan's nursing college, on the occasion of its international accreditation for bachelor's degree.

UJ President Azmi Mahafzah praised Princess Muna's support to the college, which enabled it to excel, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Manar Nabilsi, dean of the college, said that the university and the college have always sought to achieve development, noting that receiving the international accreditation is a proof that the college has a good reputation locally, regionally and internationally.

Princess Muna later honoured the contributors  behind this notable achievement.

AMMAN — Jordan health expenditure exceeded JD2.2 billion in 2015, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordan Higher Health Council on Monday organised a workshop to discuss the Jordan National Health Accounts 2014-2015 and health expenditure in the Kingdom between 2007 and 2015.

According to the report, health expenditure in 2015 accounted for 8.4 per cent of the GDP, a relatively high proportion in comparison to middle-income countries.

The public sector's portion of the expenditure accounted for 60 per cent compared 34.5 per cent for the private sector.

Health expenditure reached JD236 per capita in 2015, dropping from JD260 in 2012, according to the report, which attributed the drop to the Syrian crisis and hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

Jordan ranks fourth in the second group of the East Mediterranean countries in terms of health spending per capita.

The total spending on medicine reached JD581 million in 2015, accounting for 2.2 per cent of the GDP and 26 per cent of the total health spending, the report indicated.

Meanwhile, the individual share of medicine and medical equipment expenditure dropped to JD67.5 in 2014 and to JD61 a year later.

The document showed that the value of expenditure in 2015 on secondary healthcare services reached JD935.71, while it reached JD228.5 on preliminary services, which accounted for 18 per cent of the public sector spending.

The Council's Secretary General Mohammad Tarawneh said the report showed the need to focus on preliminary and preventive healthcare and the importance of reforming the health system.

AMMAN — A Jordanian teacher has been included in the top 50 shortlist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2018 at globalteacherprize.org. 

Now in its fourth year, the $1 million award is the largest prize of its kind, a statement by the Varkey Foundation emailed to The Jordan Times on Monday indicated.

Samar Nazzal, who teaches robotics and physics to Syrian and Palestinian refugee girls, in a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) school in Irbid, was shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize 2018 after being selected from over 30,000 nominations and applications from 173 countries around the world, according to the statement. 

Samar Nazzal teaches in Irbid Governorate, a poor community with many girls dropping out of school owing to early marriage. In a bid to increase girls' interest in science, she introduced robotics into her lessons, which has raised her students’ awareness of international issues. 

Each year, she sets her female students a scientific research challenge focused on a different global problem which they must analyse, pose hypotheses and find solutions for, before presenting them to experts. Global issues they have looked at include energy, transportation, food shortages, the elderly, disasters, education, waste and the animal world, the statement continued. 

As a result, many of her students have gone on to great success with one winning first prize in an Arab world science and engineering competition while others are now working as physics teachers at the UNRWA. 

Recognised many times for her pioneering work in girls’ education, Nazzal won the UNRWA Distinguished Teacher Award in 2015.

The top 50 shortlist has representatives from 33 countries and the winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai on March 18, 2018.

“Congratulations to Samar Nazzal for reaching the final 50. I hope her story inspires those looking to enter the teaching profession and shines a spotlight on the incredible work teachers do all over the world every day," Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation and the Global Teacher Prize, said in the statement.

“We intend to keep this momentum going as our journey continues to return teachers to their rightful position as one of the most respected professions in society," Varkey said.

The top 50 shortlisted teachers will be narrowed down to 10 finalists by a Prize Committee, with the result being announced in February 2018. The final winner will then be chosen by the Global Teacher Prize Academy.

AMMAN — ICT Ministry on Monday signed an agreement with King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence (KACE) to launch the e-Government Transition Award that aims to assess the institutional readiness to switch to electronic transactions and services, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The agreement was signed by ICT Minister and Minister of Public Sector Development Majd Shweikeh and KACE Executive Director Ibrahim Rawabdeh. 

Shweikeh said the award encourages government institutions to improve and develop their electronic services and promote positive competition.

She added that, in line with His Majesty's vision, the Cabinet approved a governmental plan to increase the use of e-services and automate governmental procedures within the electronic transformation method, which is based on re-engineering procedures of a number of ministries and departments and reducing paper use by following technological solutions to reach an e-Government in 2020. 

Rawabdeh noted that the award comes in support of Jordan's development in the area of communications and information technology and in line with His Majesty King Abdullah's vision of transitioning to an e-Government by 2020 and an information society that provides easy, fast and secure electronic services.

AMMAN — The obstacles faced by young women and Syrian refugees willing to establish home businesses are still extremely high, experts agreed at a panel discussion on Monday.

Organised by the LEADERS consortium in Jordan and funded by the EU regional trust fund "Madad", the panel aimed to discuss the findings and recommendations of a joint briefing paper titled "Balancing the Books — Including women and protecting refugees is essential to realising small business growth in Jordan".

According to the latest national statistics, female participation in the workforce amounts to a small 12.5 per cent, compared with 58.5 per cent of males. 

Furthermore, the majority of the Jordanian workforce is employed in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are, nonetheless, still poorly monitored and subject to many challenges, according to the National Employment Strategy 2011-2020.

While many women are willing to establish their own business and sustain decent livelihoods, according to the panellists, they are still facing many obstacles, especially Syrian refugees and vulnerable women in host communities.

The panelists, who included economist Maysoon Amarneh, researcher and Director of the Phenix Centre Ahmad Awad and researcher Ahmad Alshugran, highlighted the limited access to finance for these aspiring entrepreneurs, including credit, residency proofs and security clearance.

A 2016 study by the European Investment Bank showed that 43 per cent of businesspeople in Jordan reported major or severe constraints on their access to finance. This issue is further heightened in refugee communities, where non-Jordanians are required to demonstrate between JD100,000 and JD300,000 in bank collateral, before they can register any business.

Issues of safety and discrimination are also considered as major barriers to employment and entrepreneurship, according to the panelists.

"I would love to register my home-based business, but I guess I would need permission from my landlord to do so. I don’t think he would give me that permission," a Syrian woman was quoted in the discussed report as saying. 

Moving on to recommendations and solutions to enhance women's participation in the labour market and promote sustainable livelihoods, the panelists highlighted the need for collective action groups and cooperatives to help women support each others.

They also stressed the need for the government to exert its efforts in facilitating and clarifying business registration processes, as well as developing a "clear and targeted national vision for small business".

Oxfam’s Country Director in Jordan Nivedita Monga said at the event: “Business growth in Jordan has to pay special attention to vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees particularly women. They need to be able to start and grow their small businesses. With a little help, they can unlock their potential and drive economic growth in Jordan from the bottom up.”

"As a woman living in the region, I am very sensitive to this topic as I am aware of all the challenges that we, females, can face in setting up any business. So I am very happy to see what has been done by our consortium," said Rania Ahmad, deputy regional director at the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).

DRC is part of the LEADERS consortium, which is comprised of Oxfam, ACTED, Save the Children and CARE, and has been spearheading projects in the governorates of Mafraq, Irbid and Zarqa to support the economic resilience of host communities and Syrian refugees.

Its projects are funded by the "Madad" fund, which addresses socio-economic, educational, health, psychosocial, water and sanitation needs of Syrian refugees, host communities and their administrations in the region, according to its website. 

To date, the Madad Fund has committed some 211 million euros of assistance to Jordan.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal on Monday received a delegation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Defence College, led by college commandant Lt. Gen. Chris Whitecross, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, Prince Feisal and Whitecross discussed cooperation between Jordan and NATO, in addition to the latest regional developments. They reviewed issues of common interest and crises in the region, with a special focus on the Palestinian issue and Syrian crisis. Talks also covered regional and international efforts in combating terrorism within a holistic strategy.

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana on Monday signed a joint declaration on the assistance under the Single Support Framework  2017-2020, through which the EU pledged grants up to 410 million euros to Jordan over the next three years. 

“This declaration represents another important step towards strengthening our bilateral relations, and is a clear indication of the EU’s continued support to Jordan’s developmental efforts,” Fakhoury said during the signing ceremony. 

For his part, Fontana noted that “the EU remains a credible partner for Jordan, supporting the Kingdom’s social economic development and stability as laid down in the Vision 2025”.

Under the new multi-annual programme, the EU will support Jordan in the areas of social and economic development, strengthening of the rule of law, border management and prevention of violent extremism, and civil society and capacity building. 

The EU will target its support to deepen the reforms of the education sector under the Human Resource Development Strategy, and strengthen the innovation ecosystem to help reduce unemployment among Jordanian youth, according to Fontana.
Furthermore, the EU will also provide assistance to the social protection system by improving the policy framework and governance structures, he added. 

“The sectoral focus on strengthening the rule of law will contribute to the development of a more independent, transparent and efficient justice system," the ambassador continued, noting that “it will aim at ensuring human and fair treatment of citizens subject to judiciary proceedings”.

In partnership with the Agence Française de Développement, the implementation of the programme started immediately with a simultaneous agreement on the delegation of the management of part of the action. 

A second financing agreement worth 100 million euros was also signed during the ceremony, aimed at implementing the National Solid Waste Management Strategy 2015-2025.

“This aid will consolidate the existing regulatory framework and bring it in line with the objectives set in the national strategy,” Fakhoury said, noting that it will improve the transfer and disposal management system in the central and northern regions and the socioeconomic well-being and health status of waste pickers working at dumpsites. 

“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the EU for its genuine partnership and commitment to support Jordan’s economic development process,” the minister expressed, concluding that “Jordan continues to count on the EU's financial and technical support to realise our future developmental objectives.”

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah met on Sunday at the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Bethany beyond the Jordan) with Christian religious leaders and figures from Jordan and Jerusalem on the occasions of Christmas
and the New Year.

During the meeting, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi Bin Mohammad, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, King Abdullah expressed his best wishes to Christians in Jordan and Palestine, as well as to all Arab Christians, on the two occasions.

His Majesty affirmed the strong values of interfaith, harmony and brotherhood among Muslims and Christians in Jordan, which is a model of harmony and coexistence.

For their part, the attendees, as they took the podium, expressed appreciation for His Majesty’s efforts to defend Jerusalem and support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites, noting the King’s status as Custodian of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The meeting also symbolised solidarity with Jerusalem and Jerusalemites — Muslims and Christians — after the churches of the holy city, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jordan decided to turn their season celebrations into expressions of solidarity with Jerusalem, in rejection of the United States’ decision to recognise the city as Israel’s capital.

At a luncheon hosted by His Majesty in honour of the attendees, the King asserted that Muslims and Christians are one family in Jordan, working for the nation’s prosperity.

The King reiterated his support for the perseverance of churches in the holy land and their efforts to preserve their holy sites and property.

His Majesty expressed appreciation for the churches and Islamic Awqaf of Jerusalem for honouring the Pact of Omar, which established the values of coexistence and peace in the holy city, dating back to the seventh century. 

The King voiced commitment to the historical duty of safeguarding holy sites in Jerusalem, a mission that dates back to the time of Sharif Hussein Bin Ali, His Majesty’s great-grandfather.

His Majesty said the US decision on Jerusalem violates international law and relevant UN resolutions, stressing that any measures that alter the legal and historical status of Jerusalem are null and void.

The right of Muslims and Christians to Jerusalem is eternal, the King reaffirmed.

They reiterated their rejection of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, describing it as an illegal step that undermines peace and violates the teachings of Christianity.

The religious leaders expressed support for His Majesty’s recent speech at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Extraordinary summit, and the King’s affirmation that the right of Muslims and Christians to Jerusalem is eternal.

They urged His Majesty to address the United Nations, UNESCO and various international fora on behalf of all churches.

The speakers also denounced attempts to Judaise Jerusalem and alter its Arab identity.

Prime Minister Hani Mulki, Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Chief Islamic Justice Abdul Karim Khasawneh, Grand Mufti Mohammad Khalaileh and a number of ministers and senior officials attended the meeting.

AMMAN — A joint Arab media demonstration on Sunday started at 9 am through radio stations, voicing their support to Jerusalem and Palestine and denouncing US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise the holy city as the capital of Israel, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

By 11am, the joint broadcast campaign was launched on Arab television stations under the title “Arab Media Day”. 

Jordan Radio and Television Corporation (JRTV) Director General Firas Nseir said the JRTV was at the forefront of official media institutions calling for mass media demonstrations in support of Jerusalem, noting that the corporation launched a joint broadcast with Palestinian TV at 12 noon Amman time. 

He added that Jordan TV and Palestine Television were to jointly broadcast campaign at 5 pm on Sunday.

Nseir pointed out that Jordan TV had stopped all its programmes since the US president’s decision, and resumed its coverage with a special edition for 10 consecutive days entirely dedicated to supporting Jerusalem and Al Aqsa, Petra reported. 

General Supervisor of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) Ahmad Assaf said that the joint broadcast campaign is directed at Trump and Israel rejecting the US decision and to reiterate that Jerusalem belongs to Palestinians and Arabs. It is also a message to the Palestinians that they are not alone in the battle to defend Jerusalem, he added. 

Assaf noted that despite receiving threats daily, the PBC will continue conveying the message of the Palestinian people and exposing the the occupation’s violations.

He also said that since the US president’s declaration, 100 journalists have been wounded during their coverage of confrontations that broke out with the occupation forces.