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AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation’s (SSC) media centre on Tuesday held a dialogue on women’s rights to social security with representatives from several women’s associations, ministries and official institutions, a SSC statement said.

Held at the Princess Basma Hall in Ghor el Safi in southern Jordan, the event started out with the presentation of a working paper titled “The Role of Social Security in Women’s Social Protection” by SSC spokesman and director of the SSC media centre, Mousa Subaihi. 

Subaihi stressed the significant role of social security in protecting and empowering women, both economically and socially, urging working women to know more about their rights to social security when they get hired and to make sure they are included under the social security umbrella, the statement said. 

He stressed that women’s unemployment and lower rates of labour force participation negatively impact the coverage level of social security system, ultimately weakening the levels of social protection in society. 

According to Subaihi, the rates of women’s contributions to social security system are still low with only 28 per cent (351,000) of female contributors and only 16 per cent (about 33.000) of pensioners being females, according to the statement. 

He suggested the implementation of effective mechanisms liaising between the policies of SSC policies and institutions' hiring policies in order to enforce Jordanian women’s empowerment. 

Presenting the second working paper dubbed "Women’s Special Benefits in Social Security Law”, Mai Al Qatawneh, SSC director general of Insurance and medical Committees stressed that the social security law impartially reached all contributors regardless of their gender, respecting the principles of equality and non-discrimination in terms of rights and duties, the statement read. 

Men and women equally receive SSC benefits and services including retirement pensions in all its forms: old-age, compulsory, early, disability, and death pensions. In addition, women receive special treatments such as maternity insurance and age of retirement, she said. 

The dialogue concluded with a working paper titled “Maternity Insurance and Women’s Voluntary Contribution” submitted by Mahmoud Al Hiyari from the department of Insurance Awareness in the media centre. 

Hiyari showed that SSC had already empowered a large number of female contributors, providing them with protection in the events of disability or death. 

He concluded his presentation with a full explanation on maternity insurance, its importance to working women, principles, and procedures, the statement concluded. 

AMMAN — The Jordanian Engineers Association (JEA) on Monday announced that their annual Fazet Ahel campaign to repair underprivileged families’ homes will be launched on December 20, through a radiothon held in cooperation with Husna Radio which will aim to collect donations. 

“Our purpose with this campaign is to give underprivileged families across the Kingdom an opportunity to live a good, decent life,” chief of the campaign Ahmed Falahat told The Jordan Times, noting that the JEA “is not only about engineering, but also about helping locals and protecting social life”.

This will be the second edition of the Fazet Ahel campaign, which concluded a successful round last year by repairing 31 homes at a cost of JD125,000. 

“Over 1,000 families have applied to have their homes repaired so far, but the number of houses we will be able to repair this year depends on the amount of donations we get,” Falahat said. 

“We are seeking to collect more funds to expand the number of houses to be repaired this year,” he added, calling on the private sector “to cooperate with the JEA and contribute to the campaign with anything they can offer, from financial aid to technical assistance”.

“It is not only about the money,” Falahat stressed. 

When asked about the selection of the homes to benefit from the campaign, Falahat explained that “the JEA receives data from the Ministry of Social Development and other competent authorities, and the social conditions of the applicants are examined in terms of the number of individuals and the status of the home”. 

“The JEA has engineers all across the Kingdom, we always go see the houses ourselves, and, many times, they do not even have a bathroom or a kitchen,” he explained, expressing that “we need to cooperate to help them and we have to take care of each other”.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah held talks with Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with his Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman.

Discussions focused on the developments related to Jerusalem and the dangerous implications of the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its embassy there. 

At the meeting, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein and senior officials on both sides, discussions covered regional issues and the “deep-rooted, historical ties that Jordan and Saudi Arabia share”, the Royal Court said in a statement. 

The ramifications of the US decision on regional security and stability, as well as on peace efforts, were also discussed.

King Abdullah affirmed the importance of coordinating the Arab position on this issue, unifying action and reaching out to the international community. 

The two sides called for intensifying Arab, Islamic and international efforts to safeguard the Palestinians’ historical rights to Jerusalem, stressing the importance of reaching a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause, based on the two-state solution, international terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The two sides also stressed the need to maintain consultations and coordination on various issues of mutual concern, in the service of the Arab nation’s just causes, and with the aim of bolstering global security and stability.

His Majesty and King Salman reaffirmed the strong Jordanian-Saudi ties and called for advancing them further, asserting the importance of building on agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries in a number of vital sectors.

King Salman noted that the security of Jordan and Saudi Arabia is one and the same, stressing that what matters to Jordan matters to Saudi Arabia, and what harms Jordan harms Saudi Arabia.

Talks also touched on the developments in Syria and Iraq, as well as efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises and enable the region’s peoples to live in peace. 

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, Special Adviser to His Majesty Ali Fazza, His Majesty’s Personal Envoy to Saudi Arabia Bassem Awadallah and Jordan’s Ambassador in Riyadh Ali Kayed attended the meeting.

King Salman hosted a luncheon in honour of His Majesty and the accompanying delegation, attended by a number of senior Saudi officials.

Also in Riyadh, the King, accompanied by Crown Prince Hussein, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is also deputy prime minister and minister of defence. 

Discussions covered regional and international developments, especially those related to Jerusalem.

The two sides also affirmed the importance of bolstering military, economic and security-related cooperation between the two countries, the Royal Court said.

 His Majesty was due to fly from Riyadh to Turkey, where he will be heading the Jordanian delegation,  taking part in the extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which will be held in Istanbul today to discuss the latest developments concerning the city of Jerusalem after the US decision, the Royal Court has announced. 

AMMAN — Handicrafts and artworks by more than 70 artists are currently on display at an exhibition on Islamic Art and Handicrafts which started on Monday at the Royal Cultural Centre.

“Each piece displayed here has a soul, it is a unique product,” said Raed Al Badri, chairman of Jordan Handicrafts Producers Association (JHPA) which was in charge of organising the exhibition.

Different handicrafts are being showcased including dresses, mirrors, glass fountains and jewellery, among others, all inspired by different styles present in the region, according to Badri.

The four-day exhibition aims to empower the local handicraft sector as most of the 63 artists participating are Jordanian. The rest come from Syria, Kuwait and Iran, among other countries. 

“Our pieces are traditional handmade decorations, originally from Bethlehem,” said Nisreen Hamdan, one of the exhibitors.

Stressing on the importance of the exhibition, Badri said: “Handicrafts in Jordan are very well appreciated and respected because of the added value of these pieces; they have a soul.”

The exposition is held for the first time in Amman, which was designated as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2017. 

The exhibition also seeks to bring new techniques of handicrafts not very well known to the public. 

“My point is to show the attendees my art of painting glass,” said Michael Howard, the president of Home Creative Design, which is specialised in painted glass and has headquarters in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the US. 

He added: “This exhibition is about art, we want to introduce our unique products and find a new market.”

The exhibition, which is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, was inaugurated by Secretary General of the Ministry Issa Gammoh.

“This event is very necessary to our sector; it helps to market this art which is very unknown in Jordan,” said Moutaz Hamoosh who works with Lamassat, a company expert in making furniture with natural conches from Damascus. 

“It is important for children to learn about our culture; this is our DNA,” said Badri, noting that “all these pieces show where we come from and how rich our heritage is.”

The chairman told The Jordan Times about the different workshops organised by the association in order to improve the handicrafts sector in the country, adding that the JHPA has also traveled to China, Kuwait and Algeria, among others, to share this unique art to the world. 

“We encourage artists to compete with each other,” said Badri, adding “we don’t want them to stay in what is easy for them; they have to try new designs, new techniques.” 

He highlighted the “good reputation” of these pieces around the world. “Some of the artists get to export their products to Europe and the US and the foreigners living or traveling to Jordan are also really interested in this kind of art.” 

The exhibition will run through December 14, from 10 am to 10 pm. 

AMMAN () — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh on Monday attended the 2017 Entrepreneur Awards ceremony of Ernst &Young-Jordan (EY), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the ceremony, which was attended by officials, businesspeople and EY partners from across the region, Tarawneh awarded Osama Ali and Omar Ali from "Petra Engineering Industries Co." with the "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award and Hussam Hammo from "Tamatem Games" with the "Emerging Entrepreneur" Award.

The candidates were evaluated based on six criteria: leadership spirit, financial performance, strategic direction, innovation, global impact, integrity and personal impact.

With the aim of promoting the spirit of innovation and leadership among the young generation in schools and universities, the "Student Entrepreneur of the Year" was also awarded to Laith Abu Taleb of "Waragami World".

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Tuesday met with Balqa Military Retirees Union, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. During the meeting, they were briefed on the advancements at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army. Freihat expressed his gratitude for the visit, stressing the army's keenness on maintaining communication with ex-servicemen.   

AMMAN — The closing ceremony for the project titled “Creating Employment and Improving Food Security in the Host Communities of Syrian Refugees in Northern and Central Badia in Jordan” was held on Tuesday in the presence of First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan Norimasa Yoshida, Representative from the Ministry of Agriculture Mustafa Qaraleh and Project Technical Adviser at UNIDO Megumi Konda.

Financed by a $1.9 million grant extended by the Japanese government to UNIDO, the project aimed to improve food security and create employment opportunities by promoting the establishment of small agricultural business in host communities affected by the influx of the Syrian refugees, an embassy statement said.

Some 500 local farmers were provided with entrepreneurship development and agriculture technical trainings throughout the project, according to the statement. 

AMMAN — Jordan is leading a fierce global campaign to neutralise any ramifications of US President Donald Trump’s decision declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in order to render it void, political analysts and commentators said on Tuesday.

They said that the Jordanian diplomacy is seeking to convince countries across the globe to neither recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel nor move their embassies to the occupied city, the analysts said, highlighting that Jordan’s main goal is to eliminate all potential political consequences of the decision.

“Jordan’s diplomacy is not seeking to annul Trump’s decision as it seems to be difficult,” political analyst Fahed Khitan said, adding that the Kingdom is, however, trying to terminate any political impact that would lead other world countries to follow suit.

“Jordan is leading a fierce diplomatic mission globally to pre-empt any support for the US decision and this effort has paid off as Europe and Russia have already rejected the decision,” Khitan told The Jordan Times.

He noted that Jordan is keen on building more momentum by persuading world countries to reject the decision, thus creating a state among the international public opinion that would isolate Trump’s decision.

Jordan is also working globally to prevent the US decision on Jerusalem from becoming a new term of reference for the negotiations over the two-state solution, Khitan said, warning that if such a new reality is recognised as such “it would be a loss”.

“Therefore, Jordan and Palestine are seeking to convince the US administration and the European Union that US’ declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel must not be linked to any future negotiations on the two-state solution,” Khitan underlined.

Political analyst and commentator Samih Maaytah said that as Trump’s decision seems irrevocable, Amman is trying to show to the world that it is opposed on every other front.

“Jordan is proving that the decision has zero acceptance globally and trying to prevent it from being incubated internationally,” Maaytah said.

He noted that the Kingdom is steering Arab, Islamic and international efforts to show to the US that it’s decision was “a mistake”.

For Oraib Rantawi, director general of Al Quds Centre for Political Studies, Jordan and Arab states must focus their efforts on Israel rather than the US, noting that “little can be done in the face of the US”.

“Jordan and the Arab region must undertake a coordinated effort to criminalise Israel by referring it to the International Criminal Court for its practices against Palestinians and its inhumane practices against the people of Gaza…, practices that are easily described as war crimes,” Rantawi explained.

He also noted that Jordan and the Arab countries must issue a statement recognising that East Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and urge all countries to move their diplomatic missions there.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Dana, chairperson of the Petra National Trust and UNESCO goodwill ambassador, on Tuesday took part in the 2nd conference of World Tourism Organisation and UNESCO on tourism and culture in Muscat.

During a ministerial panel discussion on tourism, culture and sustainable development, the princess stressed the importance policies and approaches that would support sustainability in these sectors. She highlighted the importance of responsible travel and increasing awareness about it while calling for the development of communities, cultural exchange and heritage preservation.

AMMAN — The Greater Salt Municipality council has decided to name the 60 Street as the Arab Jerusalem Street during a session headed by Khalid Khashman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

The council stressed its support to rally behind the Hashemite leadership to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. The council called on Salt residents to take part in a gathering in solidarity with Jerusalem on Wednesday in front of the Greater Salt Municipality.