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AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Sunday visited Our Lady of Peace Centre for Persons with Disabilities, which runs several programmes that aim to integrate people with disabilities into society, a statement by Her Majesty’s Office said.  

Her Majesty was welcomed by Bishop William Al Shomali, the centre’s director, Father Shawqi Batrian, its executive director, Sahem Madanat and sister Radieh Assafin, who showed her around the facility, while volunteers and refugee families working at the centre briefed the Queen on its outreach efforts and services.

While touring the centre, Her Majesty met with children receiving treatment for their disabilities at the physiotherapy and occupational therapy departments. She also joined activities for children and their mothers in the centre’s main hall.

The centre was established by the Latin Patriarchate, and inaugurated in 2004, with the objective of offering free social, humanitarian and spiritual rehabilitation services to people with disabilities regardless of social status or religious affiliation.

The centre currently runs two separate branches; a main branch in Amman and a secondary one in Aqaba. 

The Amman branch houses six different operational departments, each targeting a particular area of care with services including developing the cognitive skills of children with mild to moderate mental disabilities, providing counseling to autistic and mentally disabled children and their families, offering speech, physical and occupational therapy, and constructing custom artificial limbs for patients who have undergone amputation or poorly conducted surgical procedures. 

Seeking to minimise the toll of physical disability on patients and their families, the centre has also established various physiotherapy units in Fuheis, Zarqa, Mafraq and Anjara. 

Additionally, the centre welcomes many volunteers as part of its efforts to increase awareness about the correct caretaking methods for people with disabilities.  

AMMAN — Art and design become an essential part of the city’s infrastructure with “Window – Space”, the new exhibition by Jordanian architect and designer Mais Al Azab which was opened on Saturday at Darat Al Funun.

Running through December 26, the exhibition proposes to gear The Lab’s space at Darat Al Funun toward the urban streets, taking the space’s storefront-like façade as its prime object.

“By activating the facade and having a presence in the street, the exhibition is a design statement for art to be an essential part of the city’s infrastructure, emphasising the role it plays in igniting life in the urban fabric,” the architect told The Jordan Times in a recent interview. 

Meant to be viewed from the street, several art-themed display windows at the gallery offer an experimental creative show which seeks to attract artists, designers and general public alike, prepared with the help of all participants in a “creative material reuse” workshop.

During the week-long workshop leading to the exhibition, several designers conceived “three very experimental cast panels made of industrial metal scrap that were distributed according to a rhythm relating to that of the Lab’s façade”, according to the architect. 

Sarah Abu Baker, Asmaa Abu Sadh, Buthaina Aburoza, Mousa Al Akhras and Talal Alkhori are among the designers who participated in the workshop. 

This exhibition is the last addition to Azab’s extensive work in the borderline area between art and architecture, which started with the construction of the harmonious skyline of a Mirage City as part of an Angolan artist’s proposition in the desert of Jordan in 2013.

“I work and invest mainly in art and architecture installations, and working on installations is a form of exploring spatial and architectural ideas at an experimental, smaller scale,” the architect said, adding that “this scale is very liberating as it allows me to design, create and build ideas on an artist-model without being limited by a service-based profession.”

AMMAN — Jordanians on Sunday said plans to boycott American products are under way, as a retaliation measure to US President Donald Trump’s decisions announced last week to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move its embassy to the holy city.

Trump’s decision, which was announced on Wednesday, sparked protests and condemnations in Jordan and across the world.

“We met today to decide what American products we want to boycott and ways to provide alternative products for the Jordanian consumers,” said President of the Professional Associations Yasser Abu Sneineh.

He told The Jordan Times that “we want to send a clear message to US President Trump that his decision was stupid and that the Jordanian people will stand firm with the Palestinians”.

“The special committee that was tasked with pinpointing the American products to be boycotted is expected to release a list to the public once it is finalised,” Abu Sneineh, who represent the 14 professional associations, added.

Deputy Khalil Atiyeh (Amman, 1st District) condemned the American decision and calling for the boycott of American products.

“We also have to call on all Arab nations to commit to this boycott because this is what will hurt the [US] decision makers who took this reckless decision, which humiliated our nation and we should respond with what they deserve,” Atiyeh wrote on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Boycott Divestments and Sanctions Movement  Jordan activist Jumana Ismael called on the Jordanian government and Parliament to “annul the gas deal with Israel, which was signed between the National Electric Power Company and the American Noble Energy company, which owns 39 per cent of the Leviathan Natural Gas Fields off the shores of Haifa".

NE also represents a coalition of Israeli companies that is involved in this deal, Ismael told The Jordan Times.

“We believe that annulling the gas deal will send a strong message to the Israeli-US lobby and the US administration that such a move will not pass without strong consequences for them,” Ismael added.

AMMAN — Over the next seven months, 60 Jordanian Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), five policy NGOs and five think tanks will take part in the WANA Institute’s Civil Society project aimed at enhancing public involvement in the path towards national development.

Funded by the European Union (EU) and carried out in cooperation with the National Centre for Human Rights, the project started in Aqaba with the first capacity building workshops held on December 9 and 10, a WANA statement said.

“Strengthening of Think Tanks, Youth Initiatives and Civil Society Organisations” aims at building the capacity of non-governmental stakeholders to deliver results-based development assistance by equipping them with skills, tools and evidence, combined with an overall assessment of their daily environment. 

Sixty CBOs were selected by the WANA Institute, including 14 youth initiatives, to take part in a series of  seven workshops that will focus on community development and training of CBOs on how to apply a human rights-based approach in their programme design. They will also introduce them to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and demonstrate how to carry out surveys and map stakeholders, the statement said.

Following the first session that targeted CBOs from the southern governorates, training sessions will be repeated on December 16 and 17 in Amman for organisations from the northern and central governorates.

After each training, the CBOs will return to the field to implement the knowledge they gained, and return the next month for follow-up. This will result in a greater impact of assistance delivery, restored power balances with donors, and improved governance through a legitimate system of checks and balances, according to the statement.

As part of the same project, 20 representatives from think tanks and policy NGOs will participate in a series of five roundtable discussions. The first one will be held on December 13 to discuss Jordan’s development priorities. 

The session will aim at reaching a consensus on the challenges and opportunities for Jordanian CBOs as a first step forward, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — Water Minister Hazem Al Nasser has signed an agreement with the Indian group Jindal SAW to establish a factory for the production of steel pipes in southern Jordan, which will be used in the implementation of water projects and for export purposes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday. 

Al Nasser stressed that this project, the “first of its kind” in Jordan and the region, will see investments exceeding $100 million during the first implementation phase and put Jordan on the list of major industrial nations. 

The project is part of the pioneering investment projects implemented within the government’s plans to expand the construction of advanced industries, attract international investments, and create new job opportunities for youth and Jordanians working in the engineering and technical fields. 

Al Nasser added that it will increase revenues through the exports of surplus production to countries in the region and develop Jordanian technical and industrial expertise.

The minister said that Jordan is one of the first countries regionally and globally to adopt plans and implement strategic water projects aimed at securing additional water quantities, highlighting that the construction of the factory will be a “solid foundation” to create regional cooperation on cross-border water projects.

The minister noted that Jindal SAW group, which is the fifth largest producer of steel pipes in the world, counts a number of factories in Italy, the US and the UAE, among others, according to Petra.

The group’s CEO Neeraj Kumar, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Indian party, expressed his appreciation of Jordan’s efforts in the water sector, as well as its work in the areas of development, construction and humanitarian work.

He stressed that Jordan has an attractive investment environment for large global industries and noted that this project will be the basis for developing industrial solutions to developmental challenges in Jordan and the region.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Hassan, president of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST), on Sunday launched a national initiative to improve food security and nutrition across the Kingdom, a vital step towards Jordan’s resilience, development and security. 

The initiative consists of a Zero Hunger Strategic Review process that will assess the main food security and nutrition challenges Jordan is facing and provide the basis for Jordan’s national food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture plans until 2030. 

The Strategic Review is expected to be finalised by July 2018, facilitated with support from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), a statement from the Prince’s office said.

The Prince has convened a high-level research team composed of Jordanian experts with wide global recognition in their respective fields to conduct the Strategic Review and has appointed the HCST and the National Centre for Research and Development as the lead convener to support the process in collaboration with WFP, according to the statement.

At the launching session, which was attended by members from eight ministries, the Chambers of Trade and Industry and members of the UN, the Prince said: “The turmoil that has unfolded in our region over the last decade has proven that food insecurity can contribute to conflict when coupled with poverty, unemployment and economic hardship. There is no better time to take concrete steps to improve access to food and nutrition for every person in the Kingdom; this is a direct investment in our national security, our prosperity and our health as a nation.” 

Prince Hassan focused on inter-regional cooperation and the protection of the human environment, reinforcing the issue of human dignity as central to all development efforts. He called for regional cooperation and multilateral engagement in resilience building in order for the region to accelerate its progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through social cohesion. 

He highlighted food, water and energy security as central to the promotion of regional prosperity and peace, the statement read.  

Jordan has made significant progress in the reduction of food insecurity and malnutrition and is among the lowest ranking countries globally on the Global Hunger Index with undernourishment rate of 4.2 per cent. 

However, eliminating food insecurity entirely and building Jordan’s resilience for the future still requires a comprehensive plan that addresses regional dynamics, the interaction between food insecurity and poverty, agricultural production and access to water, climate change and resource conservation as well as economic development, according to the statement.

The research team will bring extensive expertise in all of these areas, which will allow for cross-cutting analysis on the root causes of food insecurity in the Jordanian context. 

To ensure comprehensive representation and to validate research findings, the Strategic Review will also engage a wide range of national stakeholders including government institutions, academia, the private sector, civil society organisations, affected communities as well as the UN.  

The review will look at the wider Jordanian context to ensure that moving forward, all national and international efforts are geared towards supporting Jordan’s priorities and progress on the SDG 2 “Zero Hunger” and linked with poverty reduction and resilience efforts, the statement concluded.

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Sunday said that the fight against corruption and nepotism, in all its forms, is a national priority, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During a ceremony organised by the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Fayez said that corruption in Jordan is not as extended as it is described by some parties, stressing that the talks surrounding the issue are mostly exaggerated and not realistic.

He said the corruption cases mentioned in light of the so-called "Arab Spring" were unrealistic and inaccurate, highlighting Jordan's strong stance in the fight against all forms of corruption. Citing the judiciary as the only way to end corruption, he pointed out that there is no country in the world that is entirely corruption free.

AMMAN — “We want to start the mental health conversation in Jordan,” said Ala Abojaradeh, the director of the Jordan Chapter of Life in My Days (LIMD), a social change platform that seeks to raise awareness on mental health issues.

“Nowadays, we are seeing a greater demand for mental health services and support in the Jordanian society. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental illness makes it almost impossible for individuals to seek treatment at the onset of their disease,” Abojaradeh said, stressing the devastating consequences for patients who end up seeking treatment once their illness has become severe, when they reach out at all. 

LIMD Jordan recently launched the “Can We Talk?” campaign, aimed at spreading knowledge and triggering discussion on mental illness, and its impact on the lives of individuals and the community.

“Mental health is a topic that is hidden in our society, and the time has come to start talking,” said Abojaradeh, who teamed up with a few medical students at the University of Jordan to start the LIMD Jordan Chapter, which has since been joined by volunteers from various universities across the Kingdom.

In 2008, Jordan was identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a country in need of “intense support” for strengthening the mental health system. 

While data on mental health issues in the Kingdom remain scarce, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recently said that 104 people committed suicide since the start of 2017, while 388 attempted to, a sharp rise from the 39 suicides recorded in 2011, according to the CID

For Zahra (name was changed to protect the respondent’s privacy), such a campaign is “badly needed”. The 28-year-old suffers from chronic depression and has been prescribed anti-depressants regularly over the past five years. 

“Mental health awareness is still undervalued in Jordan. If it weren’t for my family being doctors and healthcare professionals, I probably would have never been treated and my state would have been much worse,” she told The Jordan Times.

Aiming to combat the stigma related to mental health and foster a more understanding and accepting environment for people suffering from mental illnesses, “Can We talk?” has been organising various events to spread knowledge on the daily challenges faced by people with mental health issues, including abuse, trauma, social injustices, among others, according to a LIMD Jordan statement.

Through workshops, exhibitions and panel discussions conducted by specialists, the NGO, which operates under the umbrella of the Hikaya Centre for Community Development, has been working to increase accurate awareness and establish support networks around the community. 

“We also provide tools to facilitate healing. We try to connect individuals and communities with resources for the future and offer them safe spaces where they can exchange on those difficult topics,” Abojaradeh said, noting that they plan to start a support network for university students.

 “The campaign aims to start conversations in the public space, but also to create the foundation necessary to sustain dialogues and programmes after the campaign is over,” Abojaradeh told The Jordan Times.

According to the WHO’s latest figures, one in four individuals (over 450 million people) suffer from mental disorders globally, two thirds of whom do not seek help due to lack of awareness and lack of resources.

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Sunday met with the Director of Egypt’s Nasser Military Academy Gen. Safwat Sadek and an accompanying delegation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, Freihat and Sadek discussed the latest regional and international developments and cooperation between Jordan and Egypt to best serve the interest of the two countries' armed forces. The Egyptian military attaché in Amman also attended the meeting.

AMMAN — One of the training planes of the Royal Jordanian Air Force on Sunday crashed in Jerash Governorate due to technical failure, a military source at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The source added that he plane crashed at 10:30am on Sunday. The crew, a trainer and his student, survived the crash by parachuting into the town Balila. The two were transferred to the hospital where they were reported to be in fair condition.