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AMMAN — A two-day conference discussing ways to mitigate the Syrian crisis’ effects on local societies concluded in Amman  on Monday. 

Titled “Civil Society and Refugee issues/the Syrian Refugee Crisis” the conference was held by the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR), within the activities of “EU Support to Civil Society in Jordan” project.

The project is managed by the NCHR in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation  with the support of the European Union .

The conference saw the participation of representatives from the public sector, ministries, civil society institutions and international institutions.

 The Health Ministry’s representative, Sahar Jreisat, higlighted the need to provide the necessary equipment proportionate to the increase in the health services due to the Syrian refugee crisis.

In addition, Salameh Al Mahasneh, the representative of the Water Ministry, said that the crisis has put pressure and huge demand on water, adversely affecting the citizens, by decreasing their already-low share of water supply.

Hamdan Yaqoub, the Labour Ministry’s representative, said that the crisis has led to competitiveness between the Jordanian workers and the Syrian refugees, and subsequently, increasing the Jordanian unemployment rate.

The unemployment rate of Jordanian males reached 13.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, while at the same period, it reached 33 per cent for females, which makes the overall rate 18.2 per cent in the first quarter in 2017, which is 3.6 percentage points higher than the same period in 2016, and 2.4 points from the fourth quarter in 2016, Yaqoub said.

Zeinab Shawabkeh, the representative of the Education Ministry, higlighted the effects of the refugee crisis on the education sector, especially the enrollment of Syrian students in the ministry’s schools, which forced many schools to function in double shifts.

She also pointed out other negative effects due to the crisis, such as the increase in  violence in some of the Kingdom’s schools, which she said could be attributed to  several factors, mainly the trauma of war and crowded classrooms.

At the end, Commissioner General of the NCHR Musa Braizat stressed that the appropriate analysis of all information, views and concerns of the participants of the conference, will be reviewed and the results and recommendations will be sent to all the concerned authorities, within the role of the centre as an observer of human rights conditions in the Kingdom. 

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Monday visited Al Hallabat area of the Zarqa Governorate, where she met with families, educators, local representatives and small business owners, a statement from Her Majesty’s office said. 

After speaking with members of Al Hallabat community, Her Majesty stressed the importance of improving conditions at the nearby Zaid Bin Harithah School and Al Hallabat Al Sharqi School, which are both in need of significant renovation.

Queen Rania started her visit at the Balqees Co-educational Secondary School, touring classrooms and meeting teaching staff with the school’s principal, Asma’ Shammout. Established in the 1970s, the school serves approximately 600 students from preschool to grade 12. 

The Queen then visited the Western Hallabat Charitable Society, where she was received by its president, Salem Al Nweiran, as well as Founder of the Community Centre Association (CCA) Sari Nasser, and its president Firyal Saleh. 

Established in 1997, the Western Hallabat Charitable Society provides services to underprivileged families, students, women and youth, including computer lessons as well as a revolving fund, and saving schemes to help women launch income-generating projects. The charitable society also houses a water desalination project funded by the Ministry of Social Development.

The Queen was briefed on development projects that have been carried out in the area over the past six years, as well as the charitable society’s plans for the future. 

In collaboration with the CCA, the Western Hallabat Charitable Society has launched a total of 164 income-generating projects for families in need. With a 98 per cent success rate, the projects are implemented through funding from the Royal Hashemite Court and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, according to the statement.

Following a presentation by Nasser, several of the charitable society’s beneficiaries, including women from Al Hallabat and the nearby Ad-Dulayl area, spoke about the impact these projects have had on their families, and the changes they have witnessed in society’s perceptions of women since launching their own small businesses.

In turn, Queen Rania expressed her pride in the sustainable, long-lasting business models employed, adding that, rather than categorising projects as large or small, projects should be measured by their impact.

Throughout the discussion, the president of the charitable society indicated that the nearby Zaid Bin Harithah School and Al Hallabat Al Sharqi School, established in 1968, were falling into disrepair. 

Queen Rania responded by expressing her keen interest in resolving matter, stressing the importance of  addressing this issue through the Ministry of Education, which has determined to build 10 new classrooms at Zaid bin Harithah School. The expansion of Balqees Co-educational Secondary School is also currently under way.

Before leaving the area, Her Majesty dropped by a thriving minimarket owned by Um Anwar, a beneficiary of the CCA, to hear about how the business has transformed her family’s lives. 

The enterprising woman explained how profits from the project have allowed her family not only to expand their home but to also purchase a car, which serves as an additional source of income for her husband. 

AMMAN — Maternal and child health programme managers from countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region and six key international agencies met in Amman this week for the third intercountry meeting on combating maternal, newborn, child and adolescent mortality and morbidity, according to WHO statement on Monday.

In recognition of the remaining challenges in improving the health of these groups in the region, representatives of agencies in the H6 regional partnership (WHO, UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNAIDS, UN WOMEN and the World Bank) committed to intensifying efforts to improve health outcomes for these target groups, in line with targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the statement. 

“This third intercountry meeting represents a crucial opportunity for national maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health programme managers and experts from regional and global levels to fulfil our joint mission of ensuring that every mother, newborn, child and adolescent in our region not only survives, but thrives,” regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Mahmoud Fikri, said in his opening statement. 

“We must continue to strengthen our efforts to enable countries to accelerate progress towards achieving the targets of the SDGs and promote the transfer of knowledge and expertise to Member States, in collaboration with the H6 agencies.”

Representatives stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective interventions for reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health, with an emphasis on quality of care and measurement tools. 

Despite clear disparities in some indicators for maternal and child health, significant progress has been witnessed in the region over the past 15 years. Between 1990 and 2015, maternal mortality fell by 54 per cent, from 362 to 166 per 100,000 live births, while under-five mortality fell by 48 per cent, the statement said. 

The region, however, continues to be challenged by ongoing conflict and emergencies that affect more than half of WHO’s member states either directly or indirectly, resulting in death, displacement and devastation for millions, the statement read.

“While the Region has made positive progress there remains much to be done. This meeting is an opportunity to develop our collective vision to improve the health of women, newborns, children and adolescents andto develop a shared understanding of the regional priorities and our roles at the country level,” Fikri said.

 “Ultimately, we are reaffirming our commitment to improve the health and well-being of all women, newborns, children and adolescents in our region and end preventable deaths, and I call upon all member states and partners to continue working together towards this noble goal,” he added.

The H6 partnership is a joint platform for coordinated action among partners. The partnership works closely with existing bodies at global, regional and country levels to strengthen and sustain efforts to ensure the survival and well-being of women, newborns, children, and adolescents in the Region, according to the statement. 

AMMAN — Syrian refugees and Jordanians next week will start their training to become community facilitators in their area, through a  programme titled “Syrian Refugees Empowerment”, which will be implemented in the governorates of Amman and Zarqa. 

The programme is organised by the Arab Renaissance Organisation for Democracy and Development (ARDD) and the Tamkeem Centre, with the support of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), and will be running through January 2018.

In an interview with The Jordan Times on Sunday, project manager at the ARDD, Zainab Al Khalil, noted that the aim of the programme is “to get individuals to collaborate with knowledge dissemination in communities of refugees, helping them to promote community cohesion and coexistence”. 

“We are hoping to create a culture of accountability and to raise awareness, empowering the communities to demand their rights, while knowing their responsibilities,” she continued. 

The first step after the candidates selection will encompass the development of the technical skills necessary for the mobilisation of communities, said Khalil, adding that the training will also cover the legal framework governing the education and employment sectors. 

Furthermore, the selected candidates will also be educated on sensitive issues such as the access to education for children with disabilities, gender equality, violence in schools, human trafficking and sexual harassment at the workplace. 

Following the training, the community facilitators will carry out informative sessions with groups of 12 members from their area over three months. 

“This way, the candidates will be responsible to separate the right information for their community, identifying those issues in which a certain population needs more support,” Khalil said. 

AMMAN — A video of an Asian tourist quarrelling with a local bedouin in Petra, 220km south of Amman, has gone viral on social media over the past few days.

The video, posted on Facebook by the tourist, shows parts of the argument during which the two exchange swear words at each other. Another part shows the local riding a mule and threatening the tourist with a waving robe.

The Jordan Times on Monday contacted the young man’s father, Eid Al Bedoul, who said that the argument started when the tourist insisted on taking a prohibited trail near the Treasury monument.

 “He then initiated the argument by cursing against my son, Talal,” the father added.

“My son told the tourist that the trail was banned because it is dangerous and a US tourist died a few years ago when he took this path,” said Bedoul, adding that the tourist provoked his son by using swear words against him and his family.

Talal was arrested and will be in custody for 14 days for further investigation, the father noted.

Commenting on the video, the majority of social media users said that the tourist initiated the argument by using degrading words against the bedouin.

Abdullah Jazi commented saying: “It is the tourist’s fault since he started cursing the bedouin and said he will report his name to the Tourism Ministry.”

They stressed that the video did not include the beginning of the quarrel, which provided an incomplete picture of what happened.

Petra is Jordan’s largest and most visited archaeological site, attracting millions of visitors from across the globe each year.

It is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.     

AMMAN — Plans to establish a Jordanian-Palestinian company for marketing produce constitute a step in the right direction, a sector representative said on Monday, noting that it will boost agricultural trade between the two countries.

President of the Jordan Exporters and Producers Association for Fruits and Vegetables, Saadi Abu Hammad, underlined that setting up a company that handles the marketing and exporting of Jordanian and Palestinian fruits and vegetables is an “admirable initiative”.

“The agricultural trade movement between Jordan and Palestine is very weak; very small amounts of fruits and vegetables are traded between the two countries,” Abu Hammad told The Jordan Times.

Setting up a marketing and exporting company will facilitate the exporting of fruits and vegetables between the two countries, he said, but noted that basic details on the creation of the company are still unclear.

“It [the company] will benefit the agricultural sector of both countries, but we need to have details on its nature, volume of capital and work mechanism,” Abu Hammad noted.

He also highlighted that the sector needs to have information on which crops the company will provide marketing for and which sector will be in charge of running the company.

“Several exporting and marketing institutions failed over the past years because they were given to people from outside the sector. In order for the planned company to survive, it needs to entail experts in the field,” he noted.

Abu Hammad highlighted that Jordan and Palestine grow similar fruits and vegetables because they share almost the same climate, noting that Jordan exports little amounts of tomatoes and cucumber to Palestine, which exports for its part limited amounts of carrots, potatoes and guava to Jordan.

Ministry of Agriculture Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin highlighted that the creation of the Jordanian-Palestinian company is a “recent idea”.

“Establishing the company is a new idea in the making… initial plans show that it will be run by the private sector,” Haddadin told The Jordan Times.

Haddadin noted that Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat and Palestinian Minister of Agriculture Sufian Sultan met on Sunday and discussed the prospects of establishing the Jordanian-Palestinian company to export agricultural products, with the support of the two governments and the private sector in both countries and in cooperation with the Arab Investment Company.

The two sides discussed facilitating the flow of agricultural products between the two countries, pointing out the importance of encouraging farmers to produce non-traditional crops to increase the volume of exports.  

AMMAN — Nearly one in five children across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) needs immediate humanitarian assistance, according to the UNICEF report titled “28.2 million Children in Need” which was released on Monday.

Almost 8 million Syrian children require humanitarian assistance inside Syria and in refugee-hosting countries, a figure up from half a million in 2012, the report indicated.

“This report is utterly relevant to Jordan because, out of these 8 million Syrian children, a large number encompasses refugees living inside Jordan,” Juliette Touma, UNICEF Regional Chief of Communication, told The Jordan Times in a phone interview on Monday. 

“It is a sad figure that shows we have come to the worst point ever for children in the region,” she added noting that, “since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, UNICEF had to step up its humanitarian response in the country”. 

In the face of regional crises in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Palestine, millions of families were forced to flee their homes — some multiple times and under fire. 

Children have been the first and most hardly hit victims of years of violence, displacement and lack of basic services since civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, energy, water, sanitation and hygiene installations have often been targets of attacks, the report stated, noting that children are the most at risk of diseases and malnutrition in these situations. 

“Progress achieved in the past decade is now at risk of being completely reversed in the near future,” Touma said, highlighting that “with 20 per cent of the kids in the region affected by conflict, and therefore included in the humanitarian aid system, the development of the region is also greatly impacted”.

For Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director: “With no end in sight to these conflicts and with families’ dwindling financial resources, many have no choice but to send their children to work or marry their daughters early. The number of children affiliated with the fighting has more than doubled,” a statement quoted him as saying.

Commenting on the report, he concluded: “Children in the Middle East and North Africa region have undergone unprecedented levels of violence and witnessed horrors that no one should witness. World leaders must do much more to put an end to violence for the sake of boys and girls and their future.”

AMMAN — The government on Monday denounced the “coward” terror attack that targeted a police convoy in Sinai’s Arish city which resulted in the death of 18 Egyptian soldiers, including four officers, and several injuries. Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani voiced Jordan’s solidarity with Egypt in facing terrorism that targets its security and stability, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Momani, who is also the government spokesperson, said that the incident highlights the brutality of terrorism and its perpetrators, renewing the Kingdom’s unaltered stance towards inhumane crimes and the importance of unifying international efforts to uproot terrorism. He also expressed the government’s condolences to Egypt and the victims’ families, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, Education Minister Omar Razzaz on Monday attended the closing ceremony of the national summer programme “Basma” that was implemented by the ministry during the summer holiday. The six-week programme was held with the participation of 25,000 ninth and tenth graders from 84 schools nationwide, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The activity was implemented in partnership with public and civil society institutions, in accordance with the Royal vision to prepare young leaders and invest in their creative capabilities. Razzaz said that the programme is a “unique experiment” that included activities that nourished the capabilities and skills of students, which contributed to developing their characters and providing them with important life and cultural skills.

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Monday received US Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk and his accompanying delegation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The meeting covered the latest regional and international developments as well as cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual concern to both countries.