Day: May 12, 2022

Director General of the Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC), Abdulfattah Shalabi, and Director of Strategy and Joint Ventures at Indian Farmers’ Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Manish Gupta, on Thursday discussed a number of issues related to cooperative work, especially in the agricultural field.

The two sides reviewed Jordan-India expertise in the cooperative sector and role of the cooperative movement in developing local communities, according to a JCC statement.

Discussions also went over possible ways to benefit from some Indian universities’ experience in teaching cooperative thought, to promote cooperative work through various educational fields, the statement added.

Locally, Shalabi referred to the JCC’s role in supervising Jordan’s cooperative sector and societies, promoting related culture and thought in the local community and providing training and rehabilitation services for cooperative societies’ members.

The JCC, he noted, attaches “remarkable” importance to agricultural cooperative societies, for their direct contribution to local food security and works to strengthen and build partnerships with international bodies and donor organizations to support this sector.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) has launched new programs to support small, med-size and emerging enterprises (SMEs).

In a statement on Thursday, JEDCO said the programs are part of its strategic plan to provide technical and financial support, funded by the government, to start establishing new small projects in various governorates. The programs will also lay out base of innovative marketing plans for existing companies, in order to locally and internationally develop their marketing performance.

“In addition, JEDCO will financially support the Jordanian export industries, by paying 50% of the cost of air and sea freight borne by the exporter, as a government contribution to maintain the shares of national exports in global markets in light of the rising shipping costs,” the statement added.

Applying for JEDCO’s financial and technical support is available year-round on the corporation’s website.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Qualifiers of the 6th Arab Reading Challenge (ARC) competition kicked off on Thursday, at Jordan’s regional level.

In a statement, Director of the Educational Activities Department at Ministry of Education, Abdul Salam Shanaq, said the ministry’s participation in 2022 ARC project is the “largest,” with 2 million male and female students, under the supervision of 7,678 teachers in 3,836 schools countrywide.

According to Shanaq, 1,038 male and female students, who showed outstanding performance in the qualifying rounds, came from the Kingdom’s 42 educational directorates.

This number also includes UNRWA and Za’atari camp schools, he said, adding that arbitration experts from the Ministry of Education’s supervising teams work on the participants’ evaluation.

During the arbitration days, the evaluation team will move from the southern Aqaba governorate, to the northern Irbid city and finally to capital Amman, to pick up the top 100 participants for the final qualifiers in the Kingdom, he pointed out.

This process, he noted, will determine participants in the reading challenge at Jordan’s level, who will represent the Kingdom in the ARC qualifiers in the UAE’s Dubai.

For her part, general coordinator of 2022 Arab Reading Challenge project, Ola Badaynah, asked the evaluation team to apply the arbitration criteria, based on scoring system approved by Dubai’s ARC.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Aqaba Water Company (AW) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Thursday signed an agreement to implement the Fixed Amount Reimbursement Agreement (FARA) project, which aims to rehabilitate water networks in southern Jordan.

The $33.3-million project was signed by AW Director-General Khaled Al Obaidyn and Head of USAID Office of Water Resources and Environment Andrew Lecken.

Over the span of 4 years, the project will improve the infrastructure of water networks by increasing water supply capacity, decreasing water loss by 20 percent in southern areas compared to preliminary percentages, and supporting AW in raising the efficiency of water networks.

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has recently endorsed a strategic plan, funded by the USAID, to reduce water loss to less than 25 percent, said Water Minister Mohamed Najjar, expressing appreciation of the continuous support by the United States government.

He noted that the USAID has donated $26.453 million with a contribution of $6.926 million by AW, thus boosting efforts to address water challenges in the Kingdom.

Secretary-General of the Water Authority of Jordan Bashar Bataineh explained that the deal includes prepping a new master plan in cooperation with AW for infrastructures in the south, conducting a hydraulic study to reduce water loss, and upping the capacity of the Disi water pipeline to 12 million cubic meters (mcm) per year to be able to take in water quantities provided by the National Water Carrier Project. However, in the first stage, water lines will pump some 7 mcm a year, Bataineh noted.

He added that a new water line will also be added, in addition to building a new pump station, rehabilitating four wells in Disi to enhance their productive capacity by 25 percent, reducing energy costs, improving measures of detecting water leaks, and installing new equipment, predicting to pump an additional 3 mcm to houses and reduce energy costs by 10 percent.

Thanks to projects implemented in cooperation with USAID, water loss in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) is expected to drop by 20 percent, providing 900,000 cm a year, he said.

The agreement comes within a series of similar deals signed by the USAID and the Ministry of Water to face water challenges in Jordan and support its water strategy for coming years.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Hneifat, on Thursday inaugurated the first pesticides research and development station in the Middle East, in Amman, in the presence of the Swiss Ambassador to Jordan and Iraq Lukas Gasser, and representatives from Jordanian universities and research centers.

Speaking at inaugural ceremony, Hneifat said Jordan enjoys political and security stability and a “fertile” investment environment to attract large companies and establish stations that support expansion in all sectors, especially the agricultural field. Heavy rains affect 27,000 people in ChinaThese stations serve efforts to deal with climate change, protect crops by selecting the safest pesticides and research-transferred technology and expertise, Hneifat pointed out.

These “pioneering” projects constitute an economic pillar to help youth, he noted, adding that the government is working to develop, update and improve all laws and procedures to support research and development investment to achieve food security.

The newly-inaugurated station is affiliated with the “largest” global company in the pesticides field, and houses a laboratory to isolate and identify agricultural pests, an equipped training hall to implement crop protection products “correctly and safely,” according to a Ministry of Agriculture statement.

The facility also provides appropriate nozzle sprayer technology, greenhouse and open field cultivations, multi-arched greenhouses with a central heating system, a warehouse to keep crop protection products “safely and correctly,” and practical training areas, the statement added.

In addition, Hneifat toured a project funded by Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC) to grow date trees, which depends on the investment of treated water, under an interest-free lending package for entrepreneurial projects.

Source: Jordan News Agency

A Jordanian delegation, headed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh, has taken part in the 6th Brussels Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region, hosted by the European Union.

According to a statement by the ministry on Thursday, Shraideh said that international donors pledged $6.7 billion to support war-torn Syria and neighboring countries hosting millions of Syrian refugees for the years 2022 and 2023 and beyond.

“The European Union and its member states pledged about €4.8 billion of the total of these pledges, and the United States pledged $807 million, while international financial institutions pledged $1.8 billion in loans for 2022,” he said.

The minister pointed to the participants’ appreciation of Jordan as a refugee-hosting country, where they called on the international community to support all host communities while affirming their countries’ positions on the voluntary and safe return of Syrian refugees.

The sessions were chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, as well as Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.

The overarching objective of the Brussels Conferences is to continue supporting the Syrian people in Syria and the region, and mobilize the international community in support of a comprehensive and credible political solution to the Syrian conflict, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the minister held separate meetings with a number of EU officials and participating delegations.

During a meeting with Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, the minister delivered a briefing on Jordan’s economic performance in light of the post-covid economic and social challenges, as well as the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Talks during the meeting also tackled means of cementing ties between Jordan and the EU, in addition to the 2021–2024 European aid program for Jordan.

The two officials also discussed Jordan’s €25 million share in the European Commission’s resilience-boosting initiative (Food and Resilience Facility) to address short and medium term needs of the Southern Neighborhood.

Shraideh expressed his appreciation to the EU for its continuous support for Jordan, through contributing to the implementation of reform and development programs, financing programs and projects in priority sectors, as well as the pledges made to support the Aqaba-Amman desalination and water transport project with an amount of €1 billion in grants and investment loans.

The minister also met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, to discuss the consequences of the Syrian refugee crisis on economic sectors, including public services, infrastructure, resources and labor market.

Also, Shraideh discussed with Slovenian Minister of State for Development, Stanislav Rascan, ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.

For their part, European officials commended Jordan for its important role in the region, expressing appreciation for the Kingdom for hosting the refugees, and their understanding of the various financial and sectorial challenges and requirements. They stressed that the Syrian crisis will remain a priority on the agenda of the international community at a time when the world is facing new developments represented by the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Labor Minister and Chairman of the Vocational and Technical Skills Development Council Nayef Steitieh, on Thursday, in the presence of EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou, inaugurated the first virtual lab to uplift technical and vocational training programs in Jordan.

In cooperation with the German Agency for International Cooperation, the lab comprised advanced devices that enable the user to interact with virtual reality to serve the educational process in vocational and technical education in the Kingdom.

The minister said that an integrated training system has been set at the disposal of providers of vocational and technical education, and the advanced e-learning technology, which consists of the “Tadreebak” platform and the electronic lab for the production of electronic content.

Steitieh said the setting up of the virtual lab aims at supporting the objectives of sustainable development, as virtual reality software contributes to developing students’ skills that will raise the level of qualified human resources and provide the labor market with highly-trained Jordanians.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The electricity companies will start distributing the bills under the new electricity tariff system, which was implemented on April 1 of 2022, as of next Saturday, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh said.

Kharabsheh made his remarks in a joint press conference, on Thursday, held with State Minister for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul and Chairman of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Hussein Laboun.

Shboul, during the press conference, said that after completing a study conducted by the concerned authorities on the new bills, the bills under the new tariff will be distributed on Saturday.

The study affirmed that the subsidy has reached to the beneficiaries, Shboul said, renewing calls for citizens to register on e-platform to benefit from the new subsidised tariff.

Shboul noted that the media campaign in this regard has started nine months ago, praising media outlets’ role in conveying awareness messages to citizens during the campaign.

Revenues from the new tariff will be allocated to economic and production sectors, Shboul reaffirmed.

Kharabsheh urged the eligible households to avail the subsidized electricity tariff, especially those who consume more than 600 kilowatt/hour.

He indicated that the number of meters that were read until yesterday amounted to 308 thousand, of which 177 thousand are not registered on the platform.

He added that 95 per cent of Jordanians will not be affected by the new electricity tariff, 5 per cent their bills will rise to no more than JD1.5 and 100 subscriber will witness a ten-dinar raise.

For his part, Laboun indicated that the delay in issuing bills and distributing them to subscribers came to verify the software of the distribution companies and study the ratios and numbers announced by the EMRC.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) President, Prince Mired bin Raad, on Thursday discussed with Mexican Ambassador to Jordan, Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez, ways to enhance cooperation and exchange expertise in relation to the disabled people’s rights.

Speaking at the meeting, which was held at the HCD’s headquarters, Prince Mired stressed His Majesty King Abdullah II’s keenness and continuous directives to advance services provided to the disabled people and offer necessary support to them to become productive and qualified to join the labor market in various fields.

Prince Mired presented Jordan’s achievements in the disability field, made by programs and projects that have been implemented to advance the disabled people’s rights, which would support and enable them to integrate into society and its institutions without obstacles.

Hernandez, for his part, lauded the “advanced” level of rights granted to the disabled people in Jordan, and HCD’s efforts to achieve “effective” equality-based participation.

At the bilateral level, the envoy said Jordan and Mexico share similar visions aimed to advance the disabled people’s rights to achieve social and professional inclusion.

Meanwhile, HCD Secretary-General, Dr. Mohannad Azza, stressed the importance of Royal directives aimed to develop legislation, strategies and plans, to be in line with requirements to achieve equality and fair opportunities for the disabled people.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Saudi Ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar Al Sudairi, on Thursday discussed with Director General of Jordan Customs Department (JCD), Maj. Gen. Jalal Qudah, ways to enhance joint customs cooperation.

Discussions also went over launching contact channels and exchanging expertise to develop customs work, in a way that contributes to facilitating the trade movement between the two brotherly countries, according to a JCD statement.

The two sides also discussed issues related to joint customs-related administrative areas, affirming the necessity to maintain and develop cooperation in customs affairs, the statement added.

Source: Jordan News Agency