King entrusts Hassan to form new Cabinet

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday entrusted Jafar Hassan with forming a new Cabinet, following the resignation of Bisher Khasawneh’s Cabinet, according to a Royal Court statement. 

Following is the translation of the Letter of Designation to Hassan:

“In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,

Your Excellency Dr. Jafar Hassan,

Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you,

After placing our trust in God, I entrust you with forming a new Cabinet, having accepted the resignation of Dr. Bisher Khasawneh, so you and your ministerial team may lead the next phase towards achieving further progress and prosperity as we aspire for our dear nation. The Government must be guided by continuing national modernisation programmes, with determination and efficiency, to enhance our resilience and capabilities; for modernisation is the state’s vision for the future.

Jordan’s journey has always been full of achievements, and we have witnessed difficult circumstances brought on by regional developments that have had an impact on us. But we have learned lessons from them and launched the comprehensive modernisation project with a national consensus. Today, we stand before the beginnings of this project, which charts the way forward for the second centennial of our beloved Jordanian state.

As I express pride and confidence in you and appreciation for your diligent and distinguished efforts in public service throughout the past three decades, I look forward to seeing you undertake this new mission with determination, persistence, and efficient institutional implementation, rooted in the clear vision articulated by the political, economic, and administrative modernisation tracks over the past few years.

This calls for an ambitious ministerial team that believes in modernisation and is up to the national responsibility before it—a team with the boldness and persistence required to make decisions and find solutions to serve citizens and overcome obstacles. As the Government stands before a great responsibility to which it will be held accountable, ministers’ duties must be clearly defined with measurable annual objectives, which are subject to ongoing evaluation and follow-up, in accordance with the comprehensive modernisation vision, with no place for hesitation or narrow interests—only the nation’s interest. Implementation must not lack the determination, effort, or will required, and citizens must sense its positive impact.

You and your ministerial team must also step up direct engagement with the public in the field, looking into their concerns and priorities, and listening to their opinions, while also sharing with them plans and visions, in order to address challenges, needs, and aspirations, as well as find possible solutions and build on available opportunities.

Your Excellency,

The previous Government implemented essential projects and programmes within our comprehensive vision for modernisation, which must be built on and expedited to ensure it remains on the right track. A few days ago, Jordan strengthened its resilience by completing the first step in the implementation of the political modernisation track and the election of the 20th House of Representatives.

The modernisation project ensures the political vitality to transition into a new centennial in our state’s history, and it has now become a reality, with constitutional and legislative amendments that have led to a House of Representatives which includes burgeoning political parties. This House of Representatives is but the first step on the path of political modernisation, which demands the concerted efforts of all to move forward, and the Government has a key role in bringing it to fruition and bolstering it through its relationship with Parliament and political parties, on a professional basis rooted in cooperation on legislation and oversight, in accordance with the Constitution.

The Government must work with the House of Representatives to entrench the roots of democracy and its concepts, in order to bolster our democratic and constitutional institutions, as well as political engagement. As such, it must engage in dialogue with the House, its blocs and parties, and consult it on issues and decisions that affect citizens’ lives, within an approach that puts national interest above all else, and ensures that each authority respects the role of the other.

It is also vital to enhance a political environment conducive to safeguarding rights and liberties, so that everyone may engage in the Jordanian state’s political project, and citizens confidently join public life without hesitation; for the success of this project requires unity and unwavering conviction that it is a project for all Jordanians towards building a platform-based, partisan life that guarantees conveying the voice of citizens, their priorities, and needs.

Preparation is also required for the upcoming local elections, including reviewing and enhancing the relevant legislation to empower local administration structures to better be able to undertake their development and service-related roles, as well as develop oversight and accountability tools, build the capacities of the members and employees of local administration structures, and keep up with the digital transformation project. Citizens must be empowered to participate in identifying development priorities at the local level, which must match the Economic Modernisation Vision’s priorities and ensure the fair distribution of development gains.

Your Excellency,

Jordan is steadily moving forward in the implementation of the Economic Modernisation Vision, which is subject to follow-up and evaluation through the mechanism created at the Royal Hashemite Court, with my direct engagement. Implementation must be based on clear and announced executive programmes with specific timeframes to unleash potential and achieve sustainable, comprehensive growth that guarantees doubling investment, increasing employment opportunities for Jordanians, and ensuring a better quality of life for our people. The Government must work transparently and clarify its work mechanisms accurately and responsibly.

We must also continue with our prudent financial policy to maintain economic stability and control the debt in the face of regional and international challenges, to safeguard our economic resilience and enable us to expedite development and growth to achieve the goals of economic modernisation.

Mega-projects must be at the forefront of the Government’s efforts, especially in water, transportation, energy, and promising economic sectors.

Since investment is one of the main avenues of a dynamic and resilient economy, it must be the basis for funding our projects and economic infrastructure instead of aid; therefore, the Government must step up efforts and create an empowering environment conducive to investment.

International and Arab investments are a key source to unleash growth and provide job opportunities. Cooperation is a must with our partners in developing and implementing projects and investment opportunities to turn Jordan into an advanced and competitive regional and international hub, within the regional cooperation ecosystem and international trade networks and economic structures. 

As such, this requires embarking on the actual implementation of the investment opportunity promotion plan to address various segments of investors and enhance their experience by removing procedural obstacles through constant improvement of legislation and finding quick and effective solutions to address their needs.

Your Excellency,

Jordan has been a leading example in information and communications technology since the start of this century, and we look to build on this to turn the Kingdom into a regional hub for ICT services, which requires attracting global technology companies and supporting entrepreneurs and local companies, which have made a name for themselves regionally.

The Government must give special attention to the employment of future technology through cooperation and partnership with the private sector, universities, and all relevant local and global entities, within clear timeframes. This will have a great impact on re-engineering and enhancing services and facilitating measures for the public, which will also reflect positively on the innovation and doing of business environment, as well as Jordan’s regional and global competitiveness.

The Government must also commit to the timeframe for digital transformation at public institutions, adopt creative ideas and modern technology, and support the National Cybersecurity Centre’s efforts to devise the executive programme of the National Cybersecurity Strategy (2024-2028), to set in motion an advanced, sustainable national system to administer cyber operations that ensures early detection and effective response to incidents and potential cyber threats.

The Government must establish and sustain public service centres, which represent an advanced example of providing quality services to citizens. When dealing with any governmental entity, citizens, investors, and visitors must sense substantial improvement in the efficiency and quality of the provided services.

As for the services and financial market sector, work to develop it must continue, to ensure it empowers economic growth and is rooted in prudence, while bolstering the private sector and investment funds.

The Government must also prioritise urban development to enhance citizens’ living conditions in the cities and offer better services, while expanding green spaces and public parks.

Work must continue on the new city project, for its key role in mitigating the pressure on Amman and Zarqa, in partnership with the private sector, and for its important economic, investment, and social benefits.

Enhancing quality of life also requires improving transport infrastructure and promoting modern, safe, and effective public transportation services, including benefiting from the experience of the bus rapid transit project connecting Amman and Zarqa to include wider areas, thus facilitating mobility for the public to remove obstacles preventing them from joining the labour market.

Recognising that mining is a promising sector in economic growth, the Government must give it special attention by maximising the utilisation of natural resources in the Kingdom and directing investments towards them, to expedite their commercial and industrial exploitation, including natural gas, while also expanding the utilisation of renewable and green energy—such as green hydrogen—which offer an opportunity to achieve qualitative leaps in the transition into clean and sustainable energy.

Empowering the industrial sector is also a must to ensure its competitiveness in domestic and foreign markets. New markets must be opened for Jordanian industry, and economic and trade agreements with other countries must be utilised to that end. It is also important to explore emerging markets to bolster exporting Jordanian products and services.

Current regional conditions pose a major challenge before many sectors, especially tourism, a major artery for our national economy. This demands that the Government enhance this sector’s resilience and devise clear plans to deal with challenges, while activating the tourism development fund. It is also imperative to highlight Jordan as a safe tourist destination throughout the year, despite regional turmoil.

This must come in parallel to improving the quality of services at tourist sites, enhancing visitors’ experience, developing tourist facilities, and diversifying the tourism product.

Your Excellency,

To bolster our water security, the Government must commence the implementation of the National Water Conveyance Project next year. It is one of the most important public-private partnership projects. Its implementation must also be accompanied by work to reduce water loss and counter violations of water resources while holding to account those who infringe on the rights of Jordanians.

Jordan has come a long way in enhancing food security, and these efforts must be sustained within institutional frameworks to bolster self-reliance and counter price fluctuations, as well as regional and global crises.

Your Excellency,

Education is the true source of a state’s prosperity, and efforts to modernise and develop it must continue, so that vocational and technical education become priorities in schools, centres, and universities, in order to bridge the gap between education output and market needs.

It is also necessary to focus on the priorities of training and qualifying teachers, as well as developing curricula and expanding the utilisation of technology and smart teaching methods, while providing a safe and stimulating school environment, and expanding the construction of schools and kindergartens.

Our educational institutions must be the main source of enhancing national and social values, as well as instilling volunteerism, active participation, a sense of responsibility, and respect for the rule of law within the civil state, in order to ensure the continuation of building a strong, united community that bolsters the country’s progress and advancement.

As for the health sector, we have always affirmed the importance of universal coverage for citizens, and efforts have been made in the past period to move ahead in devising a programme for universal coverage. The Government must build on what has been achieved to launch the first phase next year.

Bolstering digital transformation in healthcare is also key, by continuing efforts to digitise hospitals and medical centres, while ensuring the quality of health services and the prudent administration of our hospitals and health infrastructure, which has expanded over the past two decades.

Your Excellency,

Modernising public administration is integral to ensuring the success of economic modernisation, and a launch pad into the modernisation of the state in its second centennial. We must move forward in developing public administration to improve services, keep up with technological advancements, and promote a culture of achievement and excellence at public institutions. The purpose of these institutions is to provide public services, and each official and public servant has a duty to serve citizens efficiently. The public sector will be subject to constant evaluation, for without efficient public administration, we cannot move forward on other modernisation tracks.

It is also a must to institutionalise accountability for those who neglect their duties towards the public; for public service requires offering solutions, not placing obstacles.

Since a participatory approach is needed as a basis to enable the development of policies and laws, building the capacities of the Department of Statistics to become a comprehensive data and information centre is imperative to support more effective government decision-making and achieve goals transparently.

Your Excellency,

Jordanian women have proven their strong presence and role in various sectors, which calls for continuing to support them and empowering them to join the labour market, by removing obstacles that prevent their active engagement, in order to increase their contribution to the national economy.

Expanding the scope of social protection must be among the Government’s priorities to safeguard vulnerable segments. Such efforts must also be accompanied by efforts towards economic empowerment and the creation of opportunities. Action must be taken to enhance the efficiency of aid provision to prevent duplication and develop a crisis response mechanism. This requires updating the national social protection strategy and commencing its implementation, in line with the Economic Modernisation Vision and its executive programme.

The Government must undertake its responsibilities towards young Jordanians and harness their energies in development and progress, while enhancing the role of youth and innovation centres.

Jordanian athletes have raised Jordan’s flag high at various international competitions and have been a great source of pride. Therefore, the Government must support them and partner with the private sector to expand sports facilities to serve them sustainably.

To counter the threats facing our youths due to the scourge of drugs, efforts must be stepped up to continue raising awareness and providing supportive environments for youths at educational, youth, and cultural institutions. Smugglers and promoters of narcotics must also be relentlessly pursued, and the law must be firmly enforced.

As for the cultural sector, it demands the development of its institutions to nurture intellectual and literary talents; support art, creativity, and excellence; highlight cultural diversity and openness; and increase artistic and cultural festivals and activities.

And technological advancements in the media sector must also be kept up with, and action must be taken to encourage media outlets to develop their digital transformation tools.

Your Excellency,

Out of our absolute conviction that achieving the objectives of modernisation tracks necessitates building the capacities of the judiciary and entrenching the principles of justice and the rule of law, I direct the Government to provide all forms of support for the judiciary to continue to build the capacities of judges and supporting cadres, while also continuing to develop the digital infrastructure to streamline and expedite litigation, in order to enable the judiciary to undertake its role in bolstering justice, integrity, and the protection of rights.

As for our brave Armed Forces and security agencies, to which we give the utmost care and attention, they are the protectors of this dear homeland after God, safeguarding its achievements and progress. I direct the Government to support them with whatever needed to ensure their readiness and development, so that they remain the nation’s impenetrable shield.

Your Excellency,

Our Arab depth is a strategic choice that lies in solidifying our relations with our brethren. Jordan will always be on the side of Arab solidarity and joint Arab action; this is an integral part of our calling as a nation. And we have always been the closest to our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We will not hesitate to support them and stand by them amid the brutal war being waged on them in Gaza and the West Bank.

I direct the Government, Your Excellency, to exert all efforts to bolster the steadfastness of our Palestinian brothers and sisters on their land and defend their rights. Jordan stands resolutely against the war on Gaza and the violations in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and we continue to work diligently through Arab and international action to protect the Palestinian people and put a stop to the flagrant violations of humanitarian principles and international law. We will always be the faithful supporters of our brethren in Palestine.

And we will not hesitate to provide all forms of support for our brothers and sisters in Palestine until they gain their full and legitimate rights, and the historical injustice imposed on them is lifted from the humanitarian and political dimensions, arriving at the establishment of their independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

We will persist in undertaking our historical role in safeguarding Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship, which is an honour and responsibility we are proud to carry.

Your Excellency,

As I entrust you with forming a Cabinet and await your recommendations on your colleagues the ministers, I hope you will be up to our expectations and that you choose from the Jordanian people those who are up to this national responsibility, in terms of efficiency and excellence.

May God grant us success in serving our beloved homeland, meeting the aspirations of our honourable people, and defending our nation’s causes. Our objective, first and foremost, is that Jordan remains steadfast, strong, proud, and secure.

Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

Your brother,

Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein

Amman, 15 September 2024”