Day: November 6, 2021

According to a ministry press statement on Saturday, Shraideh highlighted the consequences on Jordan as a result of the Syrian crisis and reception of more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees, which has “exacerbated” the burdens on the public budget, host communities and public services.

In this regard, the minister stressed the importance of increasing and sustaining the international community’s support to Jordan.

Shraideh also urged the international community to assume its responsibilities towards the countries hosting Syrian refugees, specifically Jordan, in light of the “noticeable” decline in the amount of donors’ assistance provided to Jordan Response Plan (JRP) during the past two years.

The minister also called on the international community to provide “sufficient” funding to support the JRP 2021, which was prepared and updated through a participatory effort among all relevant ministries and institutions, United Nations organizations, donor countries, and non-governmental bodies.

The JRP 2021 includes a new component of the plan to deal with Covid-19 pandemic, as the plan’s financial needs nearly stand at $2.4 billion, which aim to meet the needs of refugees and host communities, as well as to enable the Jordanian government to continue providing basic services to Syrian refugees, according to Shraideh.

The minister also briefed the international community on the efforts made by Jordan towards Syrian refugees in the education, protection, and health fields, referring to the gov’t plans to provide Covid-19 vaccines to refugees and other services.

The minister said the international community’s support to the Kingdom at this time is an “urgent and utmost” necessity to enable Jordan continue to play the humanitarian role on behalf of the international community towards the Syrian refugees residing on its territory.

For their part, the participants in the meeting lauded Jordan’s “distinguished” role under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II towards the refugees, adding that Jordan has provided ” decent” livelihoods for them despite the scarcity of available resources.

The participants also stressed their continued efforts to provide financial support to the Jordanian government in this framework.

They expressed their understanding of the challenges and burdens facing Jordan due to hosting refugees, primarily placing priority to support the Jordanian Response Plan (JRP), stressing the need to focus on the quality and effectiveness of aid to deal with this crisis in the “best” manner.

They highlighted the importance of holding more meetings to crystallize a “clear” vision of dealing with this crisis in the near future.

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY

Representative of the foodstuff sector in the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC), Raed Hamadeh, said foodstuffs in Jordan is “safe and of high quality,” as they are imported from countries that impose “strict” control over its food exports.

In a press statement on Saturday, Hamadeh noted Jordan’s concerned authorities are monitoring imported foodstuffs to ensure their compliance with Jordanian specifications and standards.

All food products in Jordan are subject to lab tests and “strict” monitoring at border crossings, and conform to Jordanian and international technical rules, he pointed out.

The local market, he noted, offers a “large” stock of various food commodities that the citizens need from various global origins.

Meanwhile, products of the Jordanian food industry reach international markets, due to their quality and “high” competitiveness, he added.

The Kingdom’s foodstuff imports nearly stand at $4 billion annually, he said, adding that Jordanian factories’ products are manufactured in “large” quantities that require effort, expertise and funding to reach consumers.

Workers, he said, in the food sector, including importers and manufacturers, supply the markets of the Jordanian military and civilian consumer corporations, where lab checks are conducted again to ensure their quality and safety.

Hamadeh called for developing a food sector strategy by a private-public partnership, to address the related obstacles and challenges, and enhance its investments, denouncing attempts to question food safety in the Kingdom.

Noting the commercial and industrial sectors’ role to maintain Jordan’s stock of food and basic commodities, he added prices were “stable locally,” despite the Covid-19 pandemic-induced challenges.

The food sector constitutes approximately 30% of the volume of the trade sector, with more than 70,000 establishments countrywide, employing 250,000 workers.

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY

15 underprivileged families in Al-Jafr district in southern Ma’an governorate on Saturday received their new homes within the framework of the Royal Underprivileged Families’ Housing Project, which was launched in implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah II’s directives.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, who heads the follow-up committee for the implementation of Royal Initiatives, handed over the houses’ keys to the beneficiary families in Ma’an, which were furnished and provided with various necessary electric appliances.

In Aqaba governorate, Issawi also handed over a new house, ordered to be built by His Majesty, for a family facing difficult living and economic conditions.

Issawi was briefed on the newly handed over houses, which were built in cooperation and coordination with ministries of public works and social development, and designed according to the “highest” technical and engineering specifications, which take into account the conditions of beneficiary families, especially the elderly and people with special needs.

The Royal initiative, which was launched in 2005, covers all the Kingdom’s governorates and aims to provide a “decent and stable” life for the most needy families.

In press statements to “Petra,” Issawi said His Majesty “constantly” directs to help families facing “difficult” living conditions, meet their basic needs, and build houses for vulnerable families.

This initiative embodies the King’s interest to provide poor households with a decent life in a healthy and stable environment, he said.

“We are continuing, under Royal directives, to implement the initiative to ensure that the largest possible number of families benefit from its programs after meeting the principles and standards countrywide,” Issawi pointed out.

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY

The foreign ministry Saturday expressed its condolences to Sierra Leone on the victims of the tanker explosion that had taken place in the country’s capital and killed and injured several.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Haitham Abu Alfoul voiced Jordan’s solidarity with the people and government of Sierra Leone, and he expressed his “heartfelt” sympathies to the families of the victims and wished for a speedy recovery for the wounded.

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY

Jordan’s foreign ministry Saturday urged Jordanians in Ethiopia to exercise caution and leave the country as soon as possible amidst the developments in the country and the declaration of the state of emergency.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called on Jordainas not to travel to Ethiopia and advised Jordanians there not to hesitate to contact the embassy at the hotline (00251904049070) or the Ministry’s operations centre at (00962795497777).

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY

The youth ministry is developing an action plan for the national youth strategy, Minister Mohammad Nabulsi said Saturday.

In a meeting at the “Youth Saloon” as part of the “Kingdom’s Youth” national programme, Nabulsi said his ministry has recently established a directorate that would be assigned with handling and managing youth initiatives.

The Minister said youth have been the focus of royal and government initiatives to guarantee their participation in and contribution to the political life and the decision-making process.

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY

Three passengers on a train in southern Germany Saturday were wounded after a man had allegedly attacked them with a knife.

Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that Horst Seehofer, Germany’s interior minister, said the background behind the “terrible” attack was “still unclear.” He said people in Seubersdorf, a municipality 473 km (294 miles) south of Berlin, faced no “acute danger.”

“I hope that those injured and those who witnessed this will recover quickly and completely,” Seehofer said.

SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY