Day: May 25, 2022

Jordan has extended its sincerest condolences and sympathies to the government and people of the United States following the deaths of 19 young children and two adults in a school shooting in Texas on Tuesday.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates expressed the Kingdom’s sympathy with the United States, offering condolences to the victims’ families and wishing the injured a swift recovery.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Health Minister, Firas Hawari, has said that Jordan “is fully aware of the importance of peace as a key social determinant of public health,” stating that the country’s political stability has helped it become a welcoming home for all and a destination for world-class healthcare.

“Jordan is one of the countries that has made the most commitments to the “Health for Peace” initiative by responding to many issues such as successive refugee waves and providing adequate health care to refugees,” the minister said at the World Health Assembly’s Seventy-fifth session, which is currently taking place in Geneva.

He emphasized that refugees in Jordan are treated as citizens in terms of health care, which helps to alleviate the negative consequences on their life and health.

Hawari said that Jordan has always advocated for health for peace, as seen by its plans and programs to address the health, social, and economic consequences of the Corona pandemic, citing Jordan’s Coronavirus vaccine campaign, which began in January 2021.

Jordan has provided fair and free access to the vaccine for all, including refugees, through its Corona vaccination efforts, according to the minister.

The World Health Assembly, held under the theme “Health for Peace, Peace for Health,” is the World Health Organization’s highest decision-making body, with delegates from 194 member countries in attendance.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday concluded a workshop on the rational use of antibiotics.

The workshop was hosted in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), and the Henry Ford Hospital of the United States.

Director of Clinical Pharmacy for the Ministry of Health, Zina Halasa, emphasized the significance of the two-day workshop for the exchange of knowledge in the areas of antibiotics use and safety.

She discussed the actions done in this respect as part of the National Health Policy as well as the obstacles hospitals face in attempting to execute the strategy.

The supervisor of the workshop, WHO Representative Basim Zeidan, underlined the organization’s support for activating the national strategy to combat antimicrobials.

Hikmat Abdel-Razeq, Deputy Director-General of the KHCC, demonstrated the center’s mechanism for the sensible use of antibiotics.

Director of Medical Transformation in the Pharmacy Department at Electronic Health Solutions Co (EHS) described modifications made to their (Hakeem) program to support the prudent use of antibiotics, noting future collaboration with the Health Ministry’s Clinical Pharmacy Department in this field.

Henry Ford Hospital physicians delivered lectures on the appropriate use of antibiotics and methods taken to prevent hospital-acquired infections.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Senate President Faisal Fayez said Wednesday that relations between Jordan and China are strategic and founded on mutual respect and common interests.

During a video conference with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Li Zhanshu, Fayez noted that the 45-year-old friendship between the two nations has continued to flourish on all levels, with China becoming Jordan’s third-largest trading partner.

Fayez praised China’s support for Arab issues, citing China’s consistent assertion that any plan that is not linked to the Middle East peace process will not bring sustainable peace to the region.

“We in Jordan appreciate China’s supportive stances to the Kingdom in various fields, especially the economic,” Fayez said of China’s support for Jordan, noting that the relationship between Jordan and China is moving at a strong pace towards “broader and broader horizons” in order to find more partnerships serving the common interests of the two countries.

Fayez highlighted Jordan’s most pressing economic issues as a result of regional instability, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the Corona pandemic.

He urged Chinese businesses and businessmen to take advantage of the investment prospects in Jordan, as well as the Kingdom’s strategic location, which serves as a link between Asia, Africa, and Europe, as well as the United States, making it a hub for regional and global trade and investment.

In turn, the Chinese official expressed his appreciation for His Majesty King Abdullah II’s unique and powerful role in resolving regional conflicts and crises.

Li also reaffirmed his country’s unwavering support for the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as His Majesty the King’s role in their preservation and efforts to revive the peace process.

He said that China opposes any change to the status quo in Jerusalem and is collaborating with Jordan to find a just solution to the refugee crisis in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, while also recognizing Jordan’s significant humanitarian role in hosting and caring for Syrian refugees.

He promised that China would assist various Jordanian goals for development and food security, as well as expand its investment in Jordan, calling for an increase in Jordan’s phosphate, fertilizer, and potash exports to his country.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The EU Global Facility on Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) and the French Embassy in Jordan on Wednesday concluded a three-day regional workshop on “Forensic Audit in the fight against Money Laundering (ML)” in Amman.

Bringing together representatives of various judicial and financial intelligence institutions, the workshop witnessed the participation of delegations from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine.

European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, stressed that Forensic audit allows reinforcing national policies of transparency and integrity while enhancing all the steps of the judicial, law enforcement, financial intelligence, and auditors to fight criminality under the principles of rule of law and following international standards.

“I sincerely hope that this event has set the ground to build a stronger platform to work together and that it will contribute to fostering the necessary inter-institutional synergies at both the national and regional levels. A strong AML/CFT regime requires that each component in the financial intelligence and the penal chain is working effectively and efficiently together,” said Hadjitheodosiou.

“This workshop is of particular importance for the EU Global Facility, as it constitutes the very first regional event we organize in this country. We have been providing technical assistance to Jordan since 2019, with more than 36 activities conducted so far,” stated David Hotte, Team Leader at the EU Global Facility on AML/CFT.

He added: “the very nature of money laundering forces us to be ever innovative in the techniques we use to stop criminals. For this reason, multiagency workshops like today’s, which involves new institutions in the AML/CFT, are paramount.”

Over the course of three days, representatives from oversight bodies (court of auditors, inspection services, anticorruption authorities) and from the justice sector (prosecutions, criminal courts), as well as a representative from the Financial Intelligence Unit, worked together to reinforce the application of the forensic audit in the fight against ML.

“This regional workshop is a first experience aiming to create a regional synergy and to present the action of France through the interventions of its Embassy in Jordan in connection with Expertise France on the one hand, and of the EU on the other hand in its Justice and AML/CFT dimensions. This event will be particularly rich both from the point of view of professional exchanges and from the point of view of method, as this regional workshop is intended to be a pilot project for the region” stated Janaïna Herrera, Chargée d’affaires of the Embassy of France in Jordan.

She added: “This workshop is perfectly in line with the objective of bringing together, both at the national level of each country and at the regional level, all the institutions that fight against financial crime related to public funds (public procurement, illegal interest taking, embezzlement of public funds, misappropriation of public funds, etc.) and its avatars (corruption, money laundering), and to show the attachment of France and the EU to these issues in the MENA region”.

Ultimately, forensic audit aims to strengthen and optimize the means and strategies to combat financial crime and corruption by bringing together often too fragmented players. It does so by reinforcing the cooperation both at the inter-institutional level and at the regional level, thus optimizing the practices and strategies implemented by the forensic audit.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh on Wednesday issued a communiqué completely lifting the mandatory mask requirement in open and closed settings.

Following is the text of the communiqué:

Based on the provisions of Clause (Third) of Defense Order No. (36) of 2022, I hereby decide to issue the following communiqué:

Paragraph (First) of Defense Order No. (36) of 2022 is amended as follows:

First: the phrase (while wearing a face mask) in the first paragraph shall be removed.

Second: Paragraph (5) of the aforementioned item shall be replaced with (5- A face mask is not required to enter into open or closed spaces.)

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday extended his best wishes to Jordanians on the Kingdom’s 76th Independence Day.

In an address to the nation, King Abdullah expressed pride in Jordanians’ perseverance and their ability to accomplish great achievements, commending the role of army and security agencies in safeguarding the homeland.

Following is the English translation of the speech:

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

Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad,

My fellow Jordanians,

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

This is Jordan on its seventy-sixth Independence Day, and I am pleased to wish all Jordanians a happy Independence Day, as they celebrate this occasion for the first time in our dear nation’s second centennial.

Jordan’s legacy of struggle and devotion is the journey of all Jordanians soldiers, workers, farmers, capable in all fields, and builders of pioneering national institutions.

We proudly celebrate Jordan’s Independence. Jordan, the country that has withstood challenges, staying true to the legacy of the ancestors, and remaining steadfast in defence of its land and people, while safeguarding human dignity, freedom, and rights. Jordan continues to stand by the Arab nation and its causes, foremost of which is the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their national soil. Jordan, a safe haven to all those seeking refuge, continues to uphold the responsibility stemming from the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Over a century, Jordan has not deviated from its principles, while keeping abreast of developments and advancing forward in fulfilling its people’s aspirations for modernisation and change. Jordan is confident, stable, and secure, with the unity of its people and its formidable army and security agencies, as they safeguard the homeland, the people, and national achievements.

In a world witnessing unprecedented political and economic crises, Jordan has strived for decades to contain any repercussions on its national security, capitalising on its international reputation and standing, as well as its keenness on bolstering ties with its Arab brethren to build a system that fulfils the requirements of economic security as a basis for the stability and prosperity of communities.

Brothers and sisters,

We have opened a new chapter of progress and modernisation, with the completion of a system of legislation related to political modernisation. And we will embark on an important transitional phase to build partisan and parliamentary life, paving the way to platform-based campaigning to serve Jordanians under the umbrella of strong legislative and executive institutions, and a state rooted in the rule of law on all, without discrimination or favouritism.

The new Jordan will belong to the young generations. They will chart the path forward, with their strong determination and knowledge, and their openness to the future and global development trends, which wait for no one.

The political modernisation system provides our youth with the opportunity to contribute to building partisan life and political participation, overcoming past fears, in light of legislation that safeguards their rights and paves the way forward to effecting change.

My fellow Jordanians,

The path to modernisation is not complete without a strong economy that increases growth rates and creates job opportunities. Therefore, in the coming days, we will be launching an integrated economic vision for the years ahead, which will be a comprehensive point of reference.

And before the end of the month, the government will work to finalise a programme to develop the public sector, aimed primarily at enhancing the level of services offered to citizens, streamlining bureaucratic procedures, bolstering workforce efficiency, and advancing the e-government programme.

Moving forward simultaneously on the three tracks of modernisation and reform is a prerequisite to achieving the desired goals. Economic progress is not possible without prudent and efficient administration. And the political and democratic modernisation track cannot achieve its targets without improving citizens’ living standards, ending poverty and unemployment, and providing job opportunities for thousands of youth.

As we strive to launch a new phase for our national economy, we look forward to ending the activation of the Defence Law in the upcoming months, in order to turn the page on the COVID pandemic which has left tremendous global repercussions in its wake and start a new chapter of achievements and progress.

My dear brothers and sisters,

Jordanians deserve the very best always. And it is our duty, as officials and institutions, to exert our utmost efforts to translate this agenda of modernisation into a tangible reality with a direct impact on citizens’ quality and standards of living.

Once again, I congratulate all the sons and daughters of our nation throughout the country on this dear occasion, stressing pride in each and every one of them, and confidence in their determination and ability to accomplish the greatest achievements, especially the servicemen and women of our armed forced and security agencies, who safeguard the homeland and its progress.

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

Source: Jordan News Agency