Day: July 27, 2022

The Minister of Investment, Khairy Amr, on Wednesday, and the Korean Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy Lee Sang-hwa discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in the economic and investment sectors.

They reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to more fruitful and close cooperation in light of their distinguished relationship.

During the meeting, which was attended by the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Jordan, Lee Jae-wan, the minister stated that there are numerous major investment opportunities in Jordan that should be exploited, urging Korean businessmen to capitalize on the competitive advantages of the Jordanian market.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Arab League hosted on Tuesday evening a ceremony celebrating the World Population Day, which falls on July 11.

The event was titled “A World of 8 Billion: Towards a Resilient Future for All – Harnessing Opportunities and Ensuring Rights and Choices for All.”

Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, said the Arab region has a massive development reserve and an effective force for change: the region’s high youth population. She noted that, according to the State of the World Population 2020 report, youth make up 86 million of the region’s total 470 million population.

In order to channel youth energy toward sustainable development that has a positive impact on the economy, she also urged investment that supports youth development and ensures their right to health care, a quality education, and productive jobs.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The 4th edition of the Arab Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Expo 2022 kicked off in Amman on Wednesday with 110 national and international exhibitors.

A conference titled “Prospects of Biosimilars Industry and Supply Chain Challenges in the Arab World”, was held concurrently with the expo.

The two-day event, organized by the Arab Union of the Manufacturers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Appliances (AUPAM), will tackle a range of issues related to medicinal security and biosimilars among others.

In an opening speech, Director-General of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) Nizar Mheidat underlined the need for a collective effort to upgrade drug and pharmaceuticals manufacturing in the Arab region, pledging that the JFDA is ready to support advanced medical industries.

He urged participants to support pan-Arab medicine production “to meet our needs and support Arab economies,” adding that the conference serves as a forum for all stakeholders to share pharmaceutical know-how and lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic.

In order to ensure that medications are affordable and easily accessible, Abdulnaser Sijari, CEO of Itqan Pharmaceutical Industries Company and conference manager, emphasized AUPAM’s strategy for pursuing pan-Arab drug and pharmaceutical security. The plan, Sijari continued, also calls for the establishment of a common Arab pharmaceutical market.

The head of the Jordan Pharmacists Association, Muhammad Ababneh, described the Kingdom as a pioneer in the pharmaceutical industry and stressed that the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry has evolved into a regional and international model.

According to AUPAM President Adnan Badwan, this year’s event will focus on the manufacturing of biosimilars and will feature 28 speakers from Jordan and beyond. He stated that the gathering is discussing strategic drug stockpiling, national and pan-Arab pharmaceutical security, and the fight against counterfeit medications.

The event will also address the role of government agencies in facilitating drug accreditation and registration, as well as the future of biological alternatives in local manufacturing.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ayla Oasis Development Company (Ayla) and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) – Aqaba Bird Observatory have renewed their partnership to monitor and document migratory birds crossing the Gulf of Aqaba.

The two sides have been successful in documenting more than 100 bird species over the past eight years, some of which are endangered both domestically and globally.

The Aqaba Birds Observatory documented more than 100 species of birds in the various environments of Ayla, including several species never before seen in Jordan, such as the pygmy cormorant, striated heron, oystercatcher, and lesser white-fronted goose.

Sahel Dodin, CEO of Ayla Oasis Development Company, emphasized the significance of the company’s productive partnership with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, which has bolstered Ayla’s standing as a unique and sustainable ecotourism destination.

Fadi Nasser, who is the acting director general of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, said that this partnership is a good example of a true partnership with private sector institutions to protect and preserve the natural heritage.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Lower House of Parliament’s Agriculture, Water, and Badia Committee’s Head Mohammad Alaqmeh and Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Assistant Director-General AbdulHakim Elwaer on Wednesday discussed the ramifications of global crises on food security.

Alaqmeh said the Covid fallout, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and regional conflicts require stakeholders to work diligently to move towards further cooperation and regional solidarity in food security.

“Under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, we aspire to make Jordan a regional hub for food security due to its geographic features, climate diversity, and environment suitable for year-round agriculture production,” he added.

Elwaer, who is also Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, pointed out that the closure of neighboring countries’ markets due to conflicts and multiple waves of refugees and migration waves has negatively affected the economy and the local infrastructure. He noted that the FAO seeks to prioritize smallholder farmers and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat, who attended the meeting, assured that Jordan has not suffered any commodity shortages due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Chairman of the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee, MP Khaldoun Haina, said His Majesty King Abdullah II, during his participation in Jeddah Security and Development Summit, outlined a roadmap for Jordan and the region at this stage, which face “accelerated” local and regional challenges.

In a press statement on Wednesday, Haina noted the King revealed “openly and transparently” these hardships, which reflected his openness and frankness, with the “highest levels of leadership responsibility”.

On the local level, Haina said the King wants Jordanians to participate in the political reform process, in which Jordan has come a long way, and has made achievements that can be strongly built upon.

This keenness embodies the King’s belief that the political, democratic and partisan process is a long-term cumulative process and requires prioritising the public interest to ensure success of political and partisan action, he pointed out.

He also referred to Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision, which was developed by private-public sectors leaders, and highlighted the importance of the government’s executive plan to carry out this 10-year initiative.

In this regard, he noted the vision’s focus on optimizing and expanding the “promising” sectors in the economic fields, foremost is food security, and strengthening the agricultural sector and various industries, such as potash and phosphate.

On the regional level, Haina praised the King’s efforts to support the Palestinians to achieve peace and establish their Palestinian state on the Palestinian soil with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He also noted His Majesty’s efforts to preserve Jerusalem’s historical identity as a custodian of the holy city’s Islamic and Christian sites, in addition to his efforts in strengthening regional cooperation, especially with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Iraq.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday met with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid at Al Husseiniya Palace.

During the meeting, King Abdullah emphasized the need to create a political horizon to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, as well as to strengthen regional security, stability, and development, which must include the Palestinians.

His Majesty noted the importance of building on the outcomes of US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to the region.

The King called for maintaining calm in the upcoming period, and respecting the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The meeting also covered means to deal with issues related to transport, trade, water, and energy.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The First International Exhibition for Jordanian Universities concluded in Cairo on Wednesday, aimed to spur Egyptian students to enroll in Jordanian universities and promote educational tourism.

Touring its venues, Jordanian Consul in Cairo, Yousef El-Kloub, said the mission, in cooperation with all stakeholders and Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), is seeking to promote Jordan in education and tourism fields.

This exhibition is a first step for a broader openness towards the Egyptian market, which seeks to attracting Egyptian students to study in Jordan to meet the labor market’s needs, El-Kloub added.

For his part, Cultural Attaché, Fawzi Abu Fares, said the exhibition is “a distinguished” opportunity aimed to promote educational tourism that showcases long-standing Jordanian educational system that provides studies programs that suit the labor market’s needs.

Abu Fares also said cultural exchange with Egypt is at its “highest” levels, and the embassy facilitates all procedures for Jordanian students enrolled at Egyptian universities.

Source: Jordan News Agency

HRH Princess Alia Al Hussein on Wednesday opened a regional workshop discussing the global target of protecting 30 percent of the world’s seas and oceans by 2030, and conserving and sustainably using marine biodiversity in regions beyond national jurisdictions.

The workshop, which is being held under the auspices of the Princess Alia Foundation, the Jordanian Ministry of Environment, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and The Pew Charitable Trusts, aims to unite all stakeholders in order to develop recommendations for safeguarding the marine environment.

HRH Princess Alia emphasized the significance of the workshop, citing the Covid-19 pandemic as evidence that the environment improves quickly when precautions are taken to protect and improve it.

According to IFAQ Program Director Akram Issa Darwish, the move by international organizations to expand cooperation with Middle Eastern and North African countries stems from a belief in the importance of Arab countries in supporting and guiding international policies aimed at preserving the natural biological resources that ensure the survival of the human race.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Organized by the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), a workshop entitled “Developing Standards for the Implementation of Work-Based Learning” was launched in the Dead Sea region on Wednesday, in cooperation with the Vocational and Technical Skills Development Commission (VTSDC).

Speaking to participants, VTSDC head, Raghda Faouri, said work-based learning is a main pillar that contributes to improving outcomes of training, vocational and technical education and providing young people with the skills needed to enter the labor market.

Faouri also combined theoretical background and practical practice in the workplace contributes to providing a high added value, highlighting national efforts aimed at raising the skills level in this regard.

In addition, she highlighted the need to take appropriate measures to advance Jordan’s vocational and technical training sector, reduce costs for training providers, and meet the private sector’s requirements for necessary career-based credentials.

For his part, acting director of “Qudra 2: “capacity” in Arabic ” program, Zaid Qaisi, said the project aims to develop labor market skills for Jordanian youth and Syrian refugees, and strengthen public and private sectors’ relations, which would finally lead to training and employing 2,000 young Jordanians and Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Enabel’s media director, Ibrahim Nashawati, said the workshop aims to agree on work-based learning standards as a training method that was “highly successful” in many countries, based on the principle of multi-sectoral partnership.

Qudra 2 program is a 3-year regional initiative implemented by the Belgian Development Agency in several countries, including Jordan, with the aim of training about 2,000 young Jordanians and Syrian refugees in underprivileged areas on the professional, industrial and handicraft fields, based on labor market needs.

Source: Jordan News Agency