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AMMAN — The World Science Forum 2017, which will run through November 11, kicked off Monday under the title “Science for Peace”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Inaugurated  in the presence of the Hungarian President János Áder, the forum will see the participation of world-renowned academics, policymakers and experts in the scientific field.

“The forum will give Jordan an opportunity to see the world as a small, open and creative country can offer to the region and the world,” said Princess Sumaya, president of the 2017 World Science Forum and president of the Royal Scientific Society, which is organising the 2017 Forum.

The five-day event, which is the largest scientific event in the region, will take place at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea. It will discuss the use of science in addressing the challenges of growth, stability and world peace. The World Science Forum was first established in Hungary in 2003, in cooperation with UNESCO.

AMMAN — Purdue University, the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), and the Council of Higher Education of Jordan have agreed to establish the Regional Centre for Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance, according to a statement posted on Monday on the official Facebook page of the US embassy in Amman. 

Through the centre, Jordan, a partner in the Global Health Security Agenda, and other nations in the region will work together to reduce the threat of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance globally. 

The centre will be part of JUST, and as a co-founding academic partner, Purdue will play a principal role in its launch and early-stage development. As educational degree programmes are established, the centre is expected to become an institute, according to the statement. 

The centre “aligned well with the university’s strategic plans, and will bolster our pioneering role in responding to the urgent necessities for protecting human and animal health, and preserving the safety and security of food and the environment”, Professor Omar Al Jarrah, the president of JUST, was quoted in the statement as saying

E. Daniel Hirleman, Purdue’s chief corporate and global partnerships officer, said in the statement: “The unique health challenges of this region provide an opportunity for global collaboration and for demonstrating the practical impact of university innovations. We are excited to be a founding partner in this effort and to have such an impact on global health challenges.”

Hirleman and Jarrah said as the institute develops it will “revolutionise” efforts to mitigate national, regional and global threats of infectious diseases and to provide rapid and effective responses. 

For the first time, the institute will put into place the mechanisms and logistics to combine national and regional multidisciplinary expertise to spearhead research and training in infectious and zoonotic diseases, disease diagnosis, vaccine development and immunology, the statement read.

In addition, the institute will facilitate rapid epidemiological surveillance, tracking and response to emerging diseases and antibiotic resistance that has increasingly become a serious issue, according to the statement.

Hirleman said Purdue was “well-positioned” to contribute to this effort, especially through the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease (PI4D), a pillar of its Life Science initiative. 

Jarrah said the institute will maximise the use of existing scientific expertise and equipment in areas of bacteriology, parasitology, virology, biological sciences, epidemiology, infectious diseases, statistics, immunology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, medicine and public health. 

AMMAN — Jordan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ali Al Kayed on Monday presented his credentials to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The ambassador voiced Jordan’s eagerness to strengthen bilateral ties in various fields and to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

The Saudi king asked Kayed to convey his greetings to His Majesty King Abdullah and wished the ambassador success in his mission to boost relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

AMMAN — Minister of Transport Jamil Mujahed on Monday inaugurated the fifth regional workshop aimed at facilitating transport and trade to enhance Arab economic integration and communication, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Mujahed said that the workshop seeks to deepen the economic integration of Arab countries in the global market in addition to helping them achieve sustainable development. He stressed the need for joint efforts and cooperation between all regional countries to achieve an efficient level of trade services.

The workshop also aims to facilitate and monitor the international flow of goods, services and transport in the region. Mujahed noted that the inter-Arab trade does not exceed 10 per cent of the total trade with other regions of the world.

He attributed this weakness to the difficulty of trading incurred by heavy transportation procedures and custom fees. He called for the adoption of an integrated international and regional transport system.

AMMAN — The government on Sunday officially announced a national project to establish a new city, described as one of the key strategic schemes.

A government statement received by The Jordan Times said the project is a significant step aiming at providing a better lifestyle for citizens, improving services and offering residences with lower costs.

The scheme aims at accommodating part of the accelerating urban expansion of Amman and Zarqa, among other cities, and providing convenient alternatives for citizens in terms of the quality of residences, as well as alleviating pressure and overcrowding in major cities. 

Part of the housing lands will be granted to cooperative societies of public employees, professional associations and military retirees’ corporation to help support middle-class citizens and their capability to own houses.

This project is part of the government’s efforts to stimulate economic growth, and is a strategic response to challenges facing the national economy through contributing to enhancing investment in national resources and assets, the statement said.

Under the plan, a new, smart and sustainable city will be built, equipped with all infrastructure services and will adopt a long-term urban planning system with a vision that leaves the door open for further future development.

The venture will be fully financed and implemented in cooperation between the public and private sectors. Developers from the private sector will rehabilitate the location and lay infrastructures under a build-operate-transfer formula with financing secured from local, regional and international financial companies and banks.

The project will be implemented in five phases. The government will first prepare studies related to strategic planning and necessary blueprints, and float tenders to implement phase-1 projects. Tenders are expected to be floated in mid next year, before promoting investment opportunities available in the project. 

All phases related to establishing infrastructure and public departments and facilities will be executed under international financing tenders in cooperation with local partners, according to agreed-upon time schedules.

The strategic scheme will not be an extension of Amman or Zarqa, said the government, which expects the population of both cities to reach some 10 million people by 2050. Neither town will be able to accommodate such a population increase with the existing infrastructures, according to the statement. 

The area of the first phase of the project is estimated at 39 square kilometres, representing some 10 per cent of the scheme’s total area, the government said, expecting the first stage to finish by 2030, while the whole project is planned to conclude in 2050.

The location of the project was chosen according to a “precise long-term plan that adopted modern planning methods, and took into consideration the location adjacent to Madouna land port.

The new city will be 30 kilometres away from Amman, 30km from Zarqa and 33km from the Queen Alia International Airport after a planned highway is built linking the town to the airport.

The city is also located on the international roads linking the Kingdom with Saudi Arabia and Iraq and is close to all main roads that link Amman with Zarqa.

The scheme will be established on and surrounded by state-owned lands, which will ease the process once construction starts and allow utilising state resources for the benefit of future generations. 

Ministries and public departments will constitute the main pillar of the new city, where many government institutions will be transferred to the new city, while maintaining departments to present services in Amman and Zarqa.

The new city is envisioned to contribute to a “comfortable, perfect and sustainable business environment at lower costs”.

The estate will also feature entertainment areas and public parks, making it a modern, smart and environment-friendly city that is based on knowledge economy concepts, the statement said. 

In addition, the new city will utilise renewable energy resources to produce clean energy and water purification, in addition to having an “advanced” transportation system that links it with Amman, Zarqa, the airport and other neighbouring cities.

The city will adopt an architectural character that reflects the Kingdom’s civilisation and history, in addition to providing green areas to serve its residents.

The scheme, the government said, reflects Jordan Vision 2025 that urges enhanced partnership between the public and private sectors, speeding up procedures to shift to e-government, and developing investment climate and business environment. 

For the sake of involving people in the plan, the government will establish a website that will be an interactive platform that enables citizens to express their ideas and expectations from the new town.

AMMAN — As funding for the 2017 Jordan Response Plan, aimed at helping the Kingdom overcome challenges ensuing from the Syrian crisis, has only reached around 20 per cent of the required amount, the government has called for increased aid to adequately address the “huge” refugee burden.

Funding requirements for the 2017 plan stands at $2.65 billion, but total funding reached only $528.3 million or 19.9 per cent of the total amount required by the end of October, according to figures released by the Jordan Response Platform for the Syria Crisis.

Of the total funds for the plan during the first 10 months of this year, $134.7 million was allocated to supporting refugees, $57.6 million for budget support and $33 million earmarked as resilience support.

"There is a need for increasing the aid to the Kingdom in this regard as the burden is huge," a government official told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

"Jordan must be supported as we are doing this on behalf of the international community," the official said over the phone.

According to the platform's website, until the end of October, $165 million of the total funding was for the education sector, $47 million for the energy sector, and $79 million for social protection.

A total of $21 million was dedicated for local governance and municipal services, $15 million for food security and $118 million for water and sanitations projects, among other targeted sectors.

Germany topped the list of countries committing funds to the plan with $181.4 million provided by the end of October. The UK came second with $45.6 million and Japan was third with $43.7 million.

The EU came fourth with $38.3 million, followed by Saudi Arabia with $27.2 million, France ($22 million), the US ($20 million), Norway ($11.4 million), Switzerland ($9 million), Canada ($8.6 million), Denmark ($8.6 million), the Netherlands ($6.3 million), Italy ($4.3 million), Finland ($4.1 million) and Kuwait ($2.3 million). 

The rest of the amount was shared between Spain, Australia, Qatar, Austria, Sweden, Ireland, Taiwan, Belgium, Poland, South Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and other countries.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received a telephone call from Lebanese President Michel Aoun, during which they discussed cooperation between Jordan and Lebanon, as well as the latest regional developments. 

His Majesty and Aoun also went over the latest updates in the Lebanese arena, according to a Royal Court statement.

In this regard, King Abdullah reiterated Jordan's full support for Lebanon in its endeavours to maintain its national unity, security and stability, in a way that allows the Lebanese people to realise their aspirations to a prosperous future. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday strongly condemned the ballistic missile attack that targeted Riyadh by Yemen’s Houthi militias Saturday night.

The rocket was intercepted by the Saudi forces and there were no reports of damage, loss of life or injuries. 

In a cable sent to Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King stressed Jordan's solidarity with Saudi Arabia as the eastern neighbour seeks to protect its security and stability and respond to such “cowardly aggressions” against Saudi Arabia and its people.  

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani described the act as “heinous and a crime against humanity reflecting the criminal ideology of those who stand behind the attack”.

Momani, who is also the government’s spokesperson, stressed that Jordan stands with Saudi Arabia against attempts to undermine its security and stability.

AMMAN — "Levying any tax is a sovereign Jordanian decision," the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azour said on Sunday.

Azour added that the IMF's role in this regard is of consultative nature, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At a press conference in the Moroccan Capital Rabat, Azour said that the IMF supports Jordan's tax reform efforts, highlighting the importance of the participation of more spans of the society segments to make the efforts successful.

He stressed that rebuilding of Iraq and Syria are likely to give a boost to the economies of the region, especially those which host the largest numbers of refugees. 

He said that once the reconstruction projects begin, they should stimulate growth in regional economies.

Azour said that Jordan was one of the countries that were most affected by the regional turmoil, as the country graciously contributed to hosting the larger portion of the refugees and was able to overcome the closure of borders with the neighbouring countries.

The situation led the government to engage in an economic correction programme that aims at reducing budget deficit levels and securing stability for the private sector to function, according to the senior official.

He noted that there are a number of structural reforms in place that aim to improve the economy and create more jobs, which is "the general tenor of the relation between Jordan and the IMF".

Azour explained that the programme would not affect the most vulnerable segments of population.

The official said that the IMF has recommended the tax reforms, which are based on widening the span of taxpayers and cancelling exemptions, special regulations and exceptions.

However, the government seems to be opting for lifting subsidies and directing cash assistance to Jordanian citizens, citing that fact that non-Jordanians have been benefiting from the supported items, including bread.  

Meanwhile, suggested changes to the income tax system are meant to improve the collection methods and prevent tax evasion, officials have said recently.

AMMAN — Member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council consider Jordan as a strategic and geopolitical partner with outstanding human resources and tourist attractions, participants at a conference on Sunday said. 

The conference, titled “Jordan in a Changing Regional Environment Scenarios for the Future Era 2”, running from November 4-6 was organised by Al Quds Centre for Political Studies in cooperation with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

The Kingdom and the Gulf countries share numerous common features and “the relations are at their best based on a win-win principal”, noted Sami Al Nisf, former Kuwaiti minister of information.

Due to its security and stability, Jordan is a leading tourist attraction in the region, Nisf added. 

Regarding Saudi Arabia and Jordan, security issues are of common interest and the pillars of partnerships are based on military cooperation especially since Jordan’s geographical location is seen as a gateway to the region, said Suleiman Al Aqili, a journalist and former chief editor of Al Watan newspaper in Saudi Arabia. 

“Both countries tend to one another and are at the forefront to defend Arab security,” said Aqili. 

In the face of low oil prices and falling GDP levels, Saudi Arabia is looking to diversify its resources with different plans, in which Jordan is a part of,  citing the recently launched the NEOM Project.

Spearheaded by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman within the 2030 Saudi vision, a 26,000-square-kilometre project is to be implemented on the shores of the Red Sea, the Saudi project NEOM will also extend over Jordanian and Egyptian lands at a cost of $500 billion.

“The area is a special economic and vital zone that goes beyond the levels of international cities,” Aqili said. 

The journalist commended the expertise of the Jordanian labour force, which he hailed as “the capital of Jordan in Saudi Arabia”.

“Jordanian workforce in Saudi Arabia is indeed known to be qualified and most Saudis are impressed with their performance. The workforce is unique; engineers, teachers, doctors, and the restructuring of the economy is not going to influence them due to their quality,” he explained. 

Moreover, Senator Rajai Saleh Muasher, noted that ties between the Kingdom and the Gulf countries “are built on well-known facts, and no matter how strong they are, they still encounter challenges”.

Despite differences, dialogue plays a prominent role in addressing disputes, he added.