120 women employed in public sector to receive leadership training

AMMAN — A total of 120 female public sector employees are scheduled to participate in a capacity-building programme that seeks to enhance women’s leadership skills and to enable them to reach higher administrative positions. 

Speaking at the launch ceremony of the programme on Sunday, Minister of Public Sector Development Khleef Al Khawaldeh said the initiative, which is held in partnership with
USAID and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), is part of the ministry’s plans to empower women working in the public sector. 

The three pillars of the programme’s executive plan are studying and analysing the situation of women in the public sector; holding training sessions to build their leadership capacities; and reviewing the legislative frameworks governing women’s work in civil service to provide recommendations, Khawaldeh said.

The programme is five- weeks long and aims to equip participants with skills on leadership and strategic planning, human resources management, building creative work groups, public sector work ethics and project management.

US Ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells said the Kingdom, which has pledged to draw up efficient policies to guarantee career development for women and their appointment in senior positions in the public sector, currently has one of the highest numbers of female Cabinet members in the Arab world, yet “there is still much work to be done.”

As a public sector employee for many years herself, Wells said the difficulties of working for the government include balancing work and family, competing in a male-dominated field and combating inequality in the workplace. 

However, she was able to “reap the rewards” of her country’s commitment to supporting women’s leadership in government.

Although women form the majority of employees at ministries, their promotions to senior management positions are limited, Wells noted.

“The US government remains firmly committed to working with the government of Jordan to continue to advance women’s political and economic empowerment,” she said, adding that communities flourish and economies grow when women can reach their full potential.

JNCW Secretary General Salma Nims, in remarks delivered on her behalf by the commission’s legal consultant Amal Haddadin, said empowering women to reach decision-making positions needs work at the legislative, institutional and community levels.

The programme launched Sunday is hoped to offer “better chances” for women by increasing women’s representation to a minimum of 30 per cent in all strategy- and decision- making positions as well as the various elected and appointed councils and commissions. 

The programme is a response to the pressing need for empowering women’s leadership in the public sector on the basis of merit, professionalism and expertise, in a way that guarantees a qualitative addition to the public sector, according to USAID Takamol Chief of Party Nermeen Murad.

“We will work through the programme’s various tools... to change policies and find procedures that enable women to be productive and have fair chances to move forward and have an impact in several sectors,” she said.

Sukaina Jarrar, who works as head of the analytical chemistry department at the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission told The Jordan Times that many women who are placed in decision-making positions are not allowed to “efficiently” exercise their authority, adding that the “patriarchal” society hinders the progress of women.

She said the capacity-building programme will allow women to share their experiences and look into means of transferring what they learn to their female colleagues.