Day: November 16, 2022

Director General of the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Nizar Haddad on Wednesday met with a delegation from the Environment Protection Department at the Italian Public Security Agency.

Haddad briefed the delegation on NARC’s experience in finding solutions to climate and water challenges.

Haddad said that NARC is working with its local and international partners to find solutions to the agricultural sector challenges.

“NARC’s Directorate of Environment and Climate Change Research developed an agricultural map and another for flash floods, in addition to training courses held by NARC in fields of environment, gray water, optimal utilization of natural resources, unconventional water, compost production, and the best use of animal and plant waste,” Haddad added.

He noted that climatic challenges require concerted efforts by everyone and relentless pursuit to find solutions to these challenges by turning to organic agriculture, optimal use of resources, and reducing the use of fertilizers and pesticides through integrated control and good farm management.

The Italian delegation expressed appreciated for NARC’s leading role in environment empowerment through the search for positive solutions to climate challenges despite the scarcity of resources and capabilities.

The delegation lauded NARC’s capabilities and its contribution to the development of the agricultural sector and attract leading projects.

The delegation included Lieutenant-Colonel Andre Baldi, and Major Claudio Matera from the environmental protection department in the Italian police.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Official Gazette on Wednesday issued the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Jordan and Oman in the mining field.

The MoU aims to enhance and develop cooperation between the two countries in areas that serve the mining sector based on mutual interests.

According to the MoU, cooperation takes place between the two countries in developing mining plots, leveraging laws and regulations in force in the two countries regarding the exploitation of mineral resources, benefiting from information related to mineral ores and available investment opportunities, and attending national, regional and international conferences and seminars that are organized in both countries.

Under the MoU, experiences in the two countries in supporting innovation and development of mining industries and their experiences in applying modern technologies and methods for the exploration of metallic and non-metallic minerals will be leveraged, and cooperation in developing mechanisms for updating the geographical and geological database of the two countries.

Cooperation is also taking place in geological survey, geological studies and research, and exploration of mineral resources.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Royal Scientific Society (RSS)/ National Energy Research Centre (NERC) has participated in Sole Project’s plenary meeting, which was held in Athens on November 8, and organized by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA); the Greek partner of SOLE project.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the RSS, NERC team presented the pilot project of (Iskan Al-Faiha School in Madaba) implemented through Sole Project in collaboration with ENI CBC Med Program, with the aim of promoting the use of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technology in public buildings and schools.

During the event, the Greek version of the ACT GREEN campaign to reduce energy waste in the workplace was launched, in addition to presenting “the state of implementation of SOLE energy rehabilitation interventions across the Mediterranean”

The SOLE project has developed a capacity building pack with guidance and tools to allow for a more sustainable use of energy in the workplace, and even in everyday life.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Queen Silvia of Sweden visited the Al Hussein Society / Jordan Center For Training and Inclusion on Wednesday, which is a leading provider of rehabilitation and education services for the disabled.

During the visit, Queen Selvia, accompanied by Princess Rym Ali, met with the center’s executive director, Annie Abu Hanna, the president of the Higher Council on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, HRH Prince Mired Bin Ra’ad, the minister of social development, Wafa Bani Mustafa, and representatives from local organizations.

The meeting emphasized the importance of the government and civil society organizations in ensuring the rights of people with disabilities, as well as Jordan’s achievements in terms of policies, procedures, and services for the disabled.

Queen Silvia’s visit to the center highlights the significance of rehabilitation and education centers for the disabled and reaffirms Sweden’s commitment to equality in rights and enhancing Jordanian-Swedish educational cooperation.

While touring the center’s facilities, the Queen was briefed on the center’s significant role in improving the lives of the disabled throughout the Kingdom.

Her Majesty met with students from the association’s school and toured workshops for artificial limbs and medical devices.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh and Emirati Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Al Jaber signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to collaborate in renewable energy.

The deal was signed on the sidelines of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) held in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh.

Kharabsheh said that the agreement stipulates research cooperation for prospects of investing in and developing wind energy projects with a 2-gigawatt production capacity, in addition to exchanging experiences and technology in green energy, setting up qualification and training programs for Jordanian experts and engineers, and linking Jordanian and Emirati universities for green energy scholarships.

Highlighting Jordan’s achievements in renewable energy, the minister said 29 percent of electricity generated at the end of last July was from renewable energy sources. The total installed capacity of electric power generation projects from renewable energy sources, he continued, reached about 2,526 megawatts in the same period.

The Kingdom’s energy generated from the total installed capacity of renewable energy by the end of 2021 topped about 5.5 terawatt/hour, placing Jordan first in the region on the installed capacity of renewable energy sources rate, not including hydropower, and third on the amount of energy produced, after Egypt and Morocco, Kharabsheh added.

He stressed the ministry’s commitment to raising the rate to 50 percent by 2030 and making Jordan a regional hub for green energy by “leveraging the abundant sustainable sources and the central location of Jordan in the Middle East and North Africa.”

The partnership with the UAE and Masdar – a government-owned renewable energy company – backs Jordanian efforts to reach a 31-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the minister added.

For his part, Jaber, who is also Masdar’s Chairman, said the agreement underscores the solid Jordanian-Emirati ties, adding that Masdar is sparing no effort in assisting neighboring countries in their energy transition journeys.

Masdar has been a prominent partner of Jordan for almost ten years, said CEO Mohamed Al Ramahi, expressing hope that this deal will further deepen cooperation with Jordan in renewable energy.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Local Administration and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched a social communication platform for municipalities, which is part of the Norway-funded Network of Local Governments project.

The project aims to create a nationwide platform to more effectively link national decision-makers with municipalities and local communities to promote regular public consultation and participation. It targets 45 municipalities in 6 governorates (Irbid, Ajloun, Balqa, Madaba, Aqaba, and Tafileh), covering Jordan’s northern, central, and southern regions.

In remarks during the launching ceremony, the ministry’s Secretary-General Hussein Mhaidat said the platform would guide local communities to municipalities’ electronic services, develop new or enhanced means and quality services, and allow the public to propose solutions and partake in decision-making.

Norway’s Ambassador Espen Lindbeck said the project ensures the growth of new technologies, thus enabling administrations and the public to expand their participation by empowering their local administrative bodies.

He stressed the importance of transparency and boosting the contribution of vulnerable and marginalized segments in decision-making, which the project promotes by using digital transformation tools and enhancing institutional accountability.

For his part, Baker Hiyari, head of the government and peacebuilding team at UNDP Jordan, underscored government-UN organizations-donors cooperation to support local administrations’ efforts to communicate with their communities and come up with solutions for development challenges.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal has recently participated in the 12th Bosphorus Summit in Turkey, which brought together politicians, intellectuals, academics and experts from 47 countries for a discussion on global transformations and challenges.

In his keynote address, Prince El Hassan emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and adopting an integrated approach that promotes creative commons if the world is to successfully address global challenges like migration, asylum, and climate change.

His Royal Highness called for “using regional meetings to think together and listen to each other, so that we can reach common solutions that enable us to overcome humanitarian and environmental crises.”

He emphasized the importance of a new global human order that prioritizes human dignity, makes the law work for everyone, and recognizes code of conducts as a tool for policy formulation and crisis management.

Prince El Hassan emphasized the importance of setting priorities and assessing the social and humanitarian impacts of decisions, particularly in the overlapping development spheres of water, energy, food, and the environment, in order to ensure a better future for future generations.

He said that the region’s river and water basins have served as meeting places for different cultures for centuries, and that now is the time for a new renaissance in the East that emphasizes the region’s cultural diversity and human dimension.

His Highness reaffirmed the need for the creation of a global institution for Zakat and solidarity in order to further the ideals of altruism and human dignity and advance development goals.

Prince El Hassan met with the president of the International Forum for Turkish-Arab Dialogue and accepted the Forum’s honorary presidency.

The Secretary-General of the Forum, Arshad Hormuzlu, lauded the efforts of His Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal and his regional and global initiatives, the most recent of which is his call for the universalization of Zakat.

His Highness stated that Istanbul, with its ancient history and cultural diversity, provides an opportunity for intellectual discourse and constructive civilized dialogue, and that he hopes that this forum will provide a space for dialogue where everyone can meet.

Prince El Hassan emphasized the need for cooperation between the forum and Arab and Turkish research centers in order to deepen intellectual and university-level dialogue.

Source: Jordan News Agency