Day: February 11, 2024

Amman: Social Development Minister Wafa Bani Mustafa and the Palestinian Social Development Minister, Ahmed Majdalani, discussed on Sunday efforts to hold a Palestinian Child Conference and cooperation.

Bani Mustafa stressed the “importance” of holding the Palestinian Child Conference scheduled to take place in Amman later this year.

She discussed the royal efforts to stop the Israeli war on Gaza and support Palestinians in the besieged enclave and the occupied West Bank, noting Jordan’s relief efforts and humanitarian aid to Palestinian Gazans.

She expressed appreciation for the position of the State of Palestine in proceeding to ratify the statute of the Arab Centre for Social Policy and the Eradication of Poverty, which the Kingdom hosts.

For his part, Majdalani praised the Kingdom for its support against the Israeli war on Gaza, noting the “strong” ties between the two countries.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Aqaba: Activities of the 8th Jordanian Maritime Day, entitled “Health, Safety, Environment,” were launched in southern city of Aqaba.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony on Saturday evening, Minister of Transport, Wissam Tahtamouni, said : “Today we are witnessing start of the 8th Maritime Day and are moving non-stop on the path of development and modernization and efforts to keep up with new developments.”

Tahtamouni stressed the importance of integrating “quality” standards and “clear” measurement indicators that produce outcomes, based on “scientific” foundations in the maritime sector, aimed to strengthen public safety, improve marine environment quality, and network Jordan’s public and private sectors.

Additionally, the minister noted these standards and indicators contribute to provide “qualified and empowering” human outcomes, according to “detailed and practical” feedback-based plans, which seek to enhance “positive” cooperation to benefit Jordan’s maritime sector and its workers and face future chal
lenges.

The maritime day, which was attended by the sector’s experts and workers, featured 3 dialogue sessions with stakeholders from the Kingdom’s public and private sectors to discuss occupational health and safety on port terminals, accident-related impact on marine environment, repercussions of crises on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, and related feasible recommendations

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Indian Embassy in Amman, in cooperation with the Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA), organized a seminar on joint investment opportunities between Jordan and Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, with the participation of the two countries’ business owners.

JBA President, Hamdi Tabba’a, said Jordan has “strong” economic relations with India, adding that commercial partnerships between the two business communities are “constantly” developing.

Tabba’a indicated that volume of Jordan-India trade exchange reached $4.5 billion during the past two years (2022 and 2023).

During the symposium held at the JBA’s headquarters, Tabba’a noted there are multiple “successful” Indian projects in Jordan that have enjoyed the “competitive” privileges of the Kingdom’s investment environment.

He said Indian investments in Jordan’s clothing and phosphate sector are estimated at more than $1.5 billion, in addition to $860 million in the phosphoric acid production.

Additionally, he pointed out that India ranks 6th among
countries in terms of investment in Amman Stock Market, with a value of about JD726 million, stressing the JBA’s keenness to strengthen the wto countries’ investment, trade and economic relations.

Taba’a indicated presence of many “promising” economic sectors of common interest, especially mining, chemical and fertilizer industries, pharmaceutical industries, agriculture, information technology and tourism.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Amman, Anwar Halim, said bilateral relations are “distinguished” in various fields.

Madhya Pradesh, which is one of the key Indian states at the economic level, enjoys “distinguished” relations with Arab countries, especially in terms of the agricultural sector, the diplomat said.

Halim stated that Jordan-India trade exchange improved “significantly” and grew by 63% in recent years, noting “strong” Indian-Jordanian partnerships, especially in the phosphate and clothing fields.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Amman: Minister of Culture, Haifa Najjar, stressed the importance of consolidating the school-driven cultural, educational and value dimensions.

Najjar also noted importance of documentation and indexing processes as a basis for making policies, especially in educational areas.

Najjar made the remarks during her participation Sunday in the main dialogue of the 3rd and final day within activities of 12th educational forum of the “Tamam” project, in collaboration with the American University of Beirut and the Tamam Schools Association in Jordan.

Additionally, Najjar urged schools should become “a beacon for dialogue, diversity and human values, and connected to a cultural and societal dimension.”

The minister stressed the importance of the role of researchers and academics in making society-focused policies, especially in educational fields.

Policy maker, she noted, should be “close to creative people in various types of creativity,” stressing necessity of networking with various concerned parties.

Sourc
e: Jordan News Agency

Dubai: Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, said that despite the regional challenges facing it, the Jordanian economy continues to demonstrate resilience and steady performance.

Georgieva, speaking at the Eighth Annual Arab Fiscal Forum on Sunday, highlighted that Jordan managed to navigate through increased public debt following the Israeli aggression on Gaza, attributing its success to prudent economic management and proactive strategies that have kept inflation rates relatively low compared to neighboring countries.

Responding to inquiries from the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Georgieva underscored the effective partnership between the IMF and the Jordanian government, citing the recent approval of a new $1.2 billion program.

She urged enhanced efficiency in revenue collection to alleviate public debt burdens, commending the government’s efforts in implementing electronic tax monitoring systems and streamlining tax collection processes, which are pivotal for
advancing Jordan’s fiscal system.

Emphasizing the importance of sustained international support for Jordan amidst regional turbulence, Georgieva stressed that such backing is crucial for enabling the country to uphold its reform agenda, ultimately reflecting positively across various economic metrics.

Earlier, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, acknowledged Jordan’s economic resilience in the face of regional uncertainties, noting its ability to mitigate potential fallout from conflicts like the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Azour underscored the necessity for Jordan to adopt robust financial and monetary policies to mitigate risks associated with prolonged conflicts.

He highlighted the positive impact of Jordan’s recent partnership with the IMF, citing its role in activating economic and financial measures, bolstering public financial stability, and facilitating borrowing at favorable interest rates, all indicative of the Kingdom’s commitment to ongoing economic
reforms and its steady progress in improving overall economic conditions.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, met yesterday with the French President’s Special Envoy, Paul Soler, and the French Ambassador to Libya, Mostafa Mihraje.

Bathily and Soler discussed the political, security, and economic situation in Libya, ways to support Libyans in reaching a political agreement leading to unified institutions and the holding of elections, and developments in the national reconciliation process and reconstruction efforts in eastern Libya.

‘We agreed on the need for Libya’s regional and international partners to fulfill their duty in facilitating a durable solution that ends the status quo and prevents Libya from sliding into another protracted conflict, which might put Libya’s territorial integrity at high risk,’ Bathily said in a tweet.

They also reviewed the national reconciliation process and reconstruction efforts in eastern Libya, stressing the need for a unified approach that prioritizes the needs of the affected population and en
joys the trust and support of all, including international partners.

Source: Libyan News Agency