Social development minister, UN official discuss advancing women’s economic participation

AMMAN — Minister of Social Development and Head of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Women's Empowerment Wafa Bani Mustafa on Wednesday discussed with UN Women Regional Director Moez Doraid cooperation in implementing the Middle East Women's Initiative (MEWI).

During the meeting, Bani Mustafa stressed the importance of the partnership with the UN Women, which led to enhancing women's participation in multiple areas.

Bani Mustafa highlighted the MEWI's importance to promote women's employment in Arab countries, including Jordan, aimed to increase their economic participation.

The minister also noted that after reviewing the priorities of the women’s empowerment strategy within the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV) and aligning them with MEWI’s objectives, clear opportunities for cooperation emerged. 

She highlighted the progress made through the EMV’s executive plan, which reflects Jordan’s strong commitment to raising women’s economic participation across its three modernisation pillars—political, economic, and administrative.

As part of these efforts, Bani Mustafa pointed out that the EMV’s women’s economic empowerment axis aims to increase women’s participation in the workforce to 28 per cent.

Doraid expressed admiration for Jordan’s accomplishments in advancing women's rights and economic empowerment, particularly within the framework of the EMV. 

He noted that Jordan was selected among several Arab countries to cooperate on MEWI due to its "qualitative" achievements in this area.

He also commended Jordan’s legislative reforms, which have been a critical driver in improving the status of women in the country. 

Doraid also provided an overview of the MEWI regional program, which aims to increase women’s employment by 5 per cent before 2023 and enhance their access to job opportunities.