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AMMAN — Girls and boys from across the Kingdom on Saturday gathered at UNICEF Jordan to sign a five-year volunteer contract that aims at activating youth engagement in different governorates.  

The Youth Advisory Council was established to advise UNICEF on its various youth initiatives, and consists of 60 members between the ages of 10 and 24 from different demographics, including Syrian refugees, people with disabilities, as well as rural Jordanians.   

“The idea was to address young people’s concerns about our programmes and increase youth involvement in our initiatives,” said UNICEF Jordan’s Youth and Adolescent Development Officer Besan Abdel Qader, stressing that “young people need to be partners and not beneficiaries”. 

The organisation also launched a Youth Advisory Board consisting of eight appointed members to represent and voice the issues of a specific community that includes Syrian refugees, those living in Palestinian camps, out of school adolescents and unemployed youth, among others. 

“Their role is to advise UNICEF on how to strategically tackle issues affecting youth in different parts of society. They will be researchers, peer educators, consultants who will suggest areas of improvement,” Abdel Qader told The Jordan Times in a phone interview. 

The council members were selected through a two-step process: first by securing a place in a previously-implemented UNICEF programme, such as the Child Municipal Council, Jeel 962 and Innovation Lab, and later by an election ran by their peers.

Saturday’s event witnessed the participation of over 50 youth who were briefed on their roles, objectives and responsibilities for the next five years. “The themes of ‘passion’ and ‘commitment’ were repeated over and over again,” Abdel Qader noted. 

She said that the creation of the council was based on a two-fold approach: addressing issues affecting youth in different communities and increasing the youth’s sense of confidence and their leadership skills. 

“You feel committed and responsible,” said council member Ghassan Hilow, adding “many people my age haven’t had the chance to sign a contract, let alone advise [an organisation] on what projects to launch or which initiatives to take.” 

The 24-year-old, who has been volunteering with UNICEF for the past four years, said he looks forward to their upcoming plans. 

“We will be meeting on a regular basis to exchange ideas and expertise in the field of volunteerism. We want to help increase youth participation in different governorates, not just in quantity but also in quality. We want people to work hard in their communities and be effective agents of change,” he added. 

AMMAN — “In a world full of conflict, the beauty of nature remains, and like a flower grows naturally, we are all born free.” This is the message that artist Rana Sunaij aims to deliver with “Harmony”, her latest solo exhibition at the Wadi Finan Art Gallery where the artist has been exposing her work over the past two years. 

The art show was inaugurated on October 24 under the patronage of HRH Princess Wijdan, and its doors will remain open through November 4. 

“I have been working on the human connection with nature and its four elements over the past two years, and this triggered an evolution in my inner self,” the artist told The Jordan Times in a recent interview, noting that she became “aware of the beauty of the world, and how we become all the same when we eliminate the constraints of the urban daily life”.

“I have always been fascinated by the human expression, how our faces change from happiness to sadness, the human body and its transformation — just like when a flower blossoms, we are always growing and changing, and that makes us beautiful,” she continued. 

Acrylic and pastel over corrugated cardboard are the materials used by the artist to transfer her inner evolution and ideas onto the paintings, which showcase the harmonious connection between the faces of women and the flowers in nature, with a pantone where dark and bright colours coexist. 

This exhibition’s theme strikingly differs from the artist’s last show, which was centred around the portrayal of children. However, the core elements remain the same. 

“It is still connected to nature, humanity, and the search of oneself, to find that we all belong to this universe,” Sunaij said. 

When asked about what inspires her, the artist talked about her Syrian origins, the many casualties of life, and the artists she met during her education. 

“Born in Damascus, I entered the world wide-eyed and surrounded by a big, loving family where everyone was creative. My passion for anything related to fine arts began at a very young age, and after studying literature in the University of Damascus, I left to California to follow my dream of studying art. However, after getting married to an Australian diplomat, my path changed and it took me to Egypt, and thus began my nomadic life,” Sunaij explained. 

“I was influenced by every country,” she continued, noting how her paintings carry the turquoise and yellow of Sri Lanka, and the faces of the people from Rome and Cairo.

“There is so much beauty in this world despite the current conflicts, it only depends on ourselves to be capable of seeing it or not, and it is our minds that shape our reality in the end,” the artist concluded.  

AMMAN — Rana Dajani, an associate professor at the Hashemite University, has been selected by the Radcliffe Foundation for Advanced Study at Harvard University as one of the fellows in the Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Programme (RIFP), becoming the first professor at a Jordanian university to achieve such recognition. 

“There might be other Jordanian scholars residing in Western countries who have been granted this scholarship, but I am the first one to receive it while residing and working in Jordan,” Dajani told The Jordan Times, noting that “the idea is to be able to achieve such recognitions while doing science within the constraints of one’s own country, and to build one’s own country regardless of the challenges.”

Ibraheem Atmahat, spokesperson at the Hashemite University, said that “the university is proud of this accomplishment”, expressing that they want to “encourage Dajani in this international experience”.

Each year, RIFP selects a total of 50 leading academics worldwide and grants them with a one-year fellowship, in order to create an “interdisciplinary, international community of fellows across the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences”, according to the institution’s official website. 

Dajani’s profile on the programme highlights her position as an authority on the genetics of the Circassian and Chechen populations in Jordan, and her research focuses on the genome-wide studies concerning diabetes and cancer in stem cells. 

Furthermore, the program also notes Dajani’s advocacy for the establishment of the law for stem cell research and therapy in Jordan. 

Each fellow spends the year working on an individual project, benefiting from the support of the multidisciplinary community at Harvard University. 

“I want to take the time at Harvard to explore new research, and to write a book where I will share my perspective as a Muslim, Arab and female scientist,” said the scholar, whose project aims to document the challenges that women face in academia and how they vary across cultures, religions and disciplines.

“I want to write about this topic because it is relevant not only to our part of the world, but the whole world” continued Dajani, noting that “the challenges faced by women are the same worldwide”. 

“Moreover, I want to dispel stereotypes and myths through this book to counter the media images,” said the scholar, expressing that “Arab, Muslim women are strong, givers and doers, and I want to make sure that the women in our part of the world can learn from others while maintaining their identity and who they are.”

When asked about her shift to social sciences, Dajani pointed out that “as a scientist, we hold an obligation towards society to share our knowledge”, adding that “to do good science, you have to be interdisciplinary”.

“As I go into new realms, I am always learning, expanding my horizons and challenging myself — it is exhilarating,” she expressed. 

Before embarking on RIFP, Dajani wrote in “Nature” magazine about education and women in the Arab world, and she was also featured on the “Arabian Business” magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women”. 

Furthermore, Dajani is the founder and director of the NGO “We Love Reading”, for which she has earned the Library of Congress Literacy Award Best Practices, a Stars Impact Award, the Synergos Arab World Social Innovator Award, a WISE Award, and recognition from IDEO.org.

A 2014 Eisenhower Fellow and a member of Al Hussein’s Order for Distinguished Contributions of the Second Class, Dajani earned a PhD in molecular cell biology from the University of Iowa.

Her work is now being showcased at the Visual Intelligence exhibition at Harvard University, which introduces the 2017-2018 Radcliffe fellows and the projects they will embark on during their programme. 

AMMAN — A labour report on vocational health and safety conditions for workers in the northern region’s municipalities indicated an increase of work injuries among employees.

This came as a result of working in hazardous circumstances and dealing with waste, President of Jordan Labour Watch (JLW) Ahmad Awad told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday.

The report, issued by JLW, affiliated with Phoenix Centre for Economic and Information Studies, said that the list of municipalities’ workers includes cleaners, drivers of waste management vehicles, those who work with pesticides and fertilisers, electricity technicians and agriculture workers.

Testimonies of workers showed that numerous injuries take place but do not get reported since the workers are afraid of getting fired or reprimanded for failing to wear safety gear, according to the report, which was published in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

The report also included testimonies from workers about  the low-quality and fragile equipment that they did not use in fear of damaging them, and being forced to pay for a replacement. 

The report stated that the situation of the employees working in the northern municipalities is “ignored” by the concerned authorities.

According to the report, the number of workers in those municipalities amounts to 18,000, of which 25 per cent are females in the four greater municiplaites, Irbid, Jerash, Mafraq and Ajloun.

For the workers’ salaries, the report described them as low since the majority of the incomes range between JD220 and JD400.

Regarding working hours and time off, it said that they work six days a week and sometimes they’re “obliged” to even work on  Fridays, while the law clearly states that employees should only work on Fridays voluntarily. 

The JLW president called for amending the labour law related to establishing labour associations for all workers, who get paid in Jordan, in addition to amending the Civil Service Law to facilitate establishing associations.

Awad also called for amending articles that are related to workers’ rights. 

He stressed the importance of paying overtime in accordance with the law, which stipulates paying 150 per cent more than the regular wage.

The president reiterated the importance of improving health and safety criteria, raising safety awareness among workers, regulating the quality of equipment, and monitoring the workers’ commitment to safety standards.        

AMMAN — Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Chairman Farouq Hiyari on Tuesday said that the commission has issued licences to all 14 requests to open electric vehicle charging stations, including five for public stations, and nine for private stations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In a press release, Hiyari noted that there also are other charging stations in various locations across the Kingdom for electric cars, adding that some electric cars owners charge their vehicles by power sources in their homes. Regarding the regulations, the EMRC sets up a monthly tariff for charging electric vehicles. The tariff was set for the period from January till October 2017, with 110 fils/kWh.

AMMAN — The Jordanian embassy in Cairo is following up on the alleged murder of a Jordanian citizen in his 70s, who was found dead last Wednesday at his apartment in 6th of October City in Geza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

A source at the Foreign Ministry noted that as soon as the embassy received information about the death of a Jordanian citizen, who was found by a house guard reportedly handcuffed, they initiated an investigation.

The embassy immediately contacted the concerned security bodies. The Egyptian authorities told the embassy that the victim was allegedly robbed and killed by four Egyptians, who were arrested on Monday and the investigation is still ongoing.       

AMMAN — A run over incident which occurred recently in Irbid was “fabricated”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported, quoting a security source on Tuesday.

According to the source, the claimant, who has a criminal record, admitted that he purposely tripped himself behind a woman’s car.

He has been referred to the prosecutor who charged him with fabricating accidents and defamation. According to the investigations the suspect’s plans was to blackmail the woman, Petra added.

AMMAN — Civil Defence Department (CDD) personnel recovered the body of a man in his 20s from a 23-metre deep well in ​​Jerash, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

The CDD team’s mission, using special equipment, lasted more than 18 hours due to muddy soil in the well. The department urged the public to take precautions when using open wells, especially in winter.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday departed to Kazakhstan for an official visit to meet with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev and senior Kazakh officials, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

HRH Prince Ali was sworn in to deputise for His Majesty in Jordan, during the King's visit to Kazakhstan.

A Kazakh media report on Monday quoted Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Jordan Azamat Berdibay as saying that the Monarch would pay a two-day visit to Kazakhstan, saying officials from both sides will meet for bilateral talks mainly focusing on trade and economic cooperation.

The two countries exchanged diplomatic missions in 2007, but ties started effectively in 1993, according to the Kazakhstani embassy in Amman’s website. 

AMMAN — Jordan and the UAE on Tuesday signed 12 agreements, protocols, memoranda of understanding and executive programmes that govern ties between the two countries.

The deals were signed in Abu Dhabi at the conclusion of the third session of the Jordan-UAE ministerial committee co-chaired by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah Al Nahyan.

The deals would contribute to opening wider horizons for cooperation between the two countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

They included memoranda of understanding on financial and technical cooperation, mutual recognition of conformity certificates and quality mark for products between Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology and the UAE Authority for Standardisation and Metrology. 

They also include cooperation in the fields of telecommunications, ICT and electronic transformation between the Jordanian Ministry of ICT and the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, as well as in the field of green growth between the Ministry of Environment of Jordan and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE. 

An agreement was also signed to boost cooperation in the field of competition policies and related legislation between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply of Jordan and the UAE Ministry of Economy. 

The two sides also signed a cooperation deal in the field of company registration and control, in addition to a protocol on technical cooperation between the Jordan Investment Commission and the UAE ministry of economy.

The two sides also agreed on the mutual recognition of civil certificates of marine workers in the sea of ​​seafarers between the Jordanian Maritime Commission and the Federal Authority for Onshore and Offshore Transport of the UAE.

Other deals included the executive programme for cultural cooperation between the two countrie governments for the years 2017-2020 and the executive programme of higher education and scientific research between the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education and the UAE’s Ministry of Education for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The officials also signed the executive programme for educational cooperation between the two countries for 2017-2019, and a memorandum of understanding in the field of information.

Jordan and the UAE endorsed an executive timetable for the implementation of the deals, while foreign ministries will report progress in the process on a biannual basis, Petra said. 

Meanwhile, Safadi and Al Nahyan discussed regional issues, including the Mideast conflict and terrorism, agreeing to increase cooperation to coordinate their positions on these issues. 

Following the conclusion of the meetings, which extended over three days, the two countries endorsed a set of recommendations to bolster bilateral trade. They agreed to hold the third session of the Jordan-UAE Economic Forum in Amman next year. 

They also discussed ways to facilitate Jordan’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, start joint investments in the Kingdom in the fields of steel and complete the electronic linkage between the customs departments in each country.