Category: General

Jordan is actively pursuing pan-Arab solidarity to address challenges facing the Arab world and bring about much-needed all-encompassing development through the region, Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Abdulkarim Dughmi said Thursday.

Addressing the 32nd conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) currently underway in Cairo, Dughmi said that pan-Arab solidarity is the only lever to overcome the crises and challenges facing the Arab world, which, according to Dughmi, has become an arena for conflicts, crises, and challenges.

The House Speaker warned that the “Arab system’s” resilience was receding after wars destroyed the infrastructure in some countries and displaced millions of refugees to different parts of the world, at a time when “the specter of terrorism and extremism is still striking.”

“Today’s world is experiencing a very complex conflict that is pushing towards a new international order, which will redraw the geopolitical maps in the world, especially in our Arab region in particular,” Dughmi indicated.

He said that Jordan managed, during the past years, to defeat terrorists at the military and intellectual levels, and today it is fighting a war with drug dealers who seek to spread this scourge in the Arab region and the Gulf states in particular.

The House Speaker indicated that the Israeli occupation is the prime danger to the region, which pushed it to the abyss of violence, and said that after decades of talking about peace, this only resulted in more oppression, racial discrimination and violation of rights.

In this context, Dughmi stressed that the Kingdom will continue to support the Palestinian people in their quest for freedom, reiterating the Kingdom’s stance that the only solution to the Palestinian issue is the two-state formula.

Source: Jordan News Agency

UNESCO, the Culture Ministry and the Petra National Trust Wednesday launched the “Community Mapping of Intangible Heritage in Irbid” project.

Culture Minister Haifa Najjar, who joined virtually, said: “We are delighted that Irbid was chosen as one of nine global cities that witnessed community mapping and that this project coincides with the ‘Irbid: The Arab Capital of Culture 2022’.

“It has a royal and governmental attention to progress the celebrations so that they reflect the civilization, culture, heritage and character of Irbid.”

Najjar praised UNESCO for its efforts and its participatory approach, especially in areas of cooperation on intangible cultural heritage.

Community mapping of intangible cultural heritage in urban areas is part of a larger project undertaken by UNESCO to protect the cultural heritage and encourage local communities, NGO’s and the government to pass on cultural heritage.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday participated in the Global Disability Summit, which was held virtually with the participation of a number of government leaders and officials, and representatives of international organisations.

In remarks at the summit, King Abdullah said Jordan is taking every opportunity to enhance inclusion, as true progress cannot be achieved without fostering inclusive development that safeguards the rights of persons with disabilities

His Majesty pointed to the endorsement of the constitutional amendments earlier this year, which stipulated that laws must protect the rights of persons with disabilities, and enhance their participation and integration in all aspects of life.

“Jordan legislated an ambitious new Law in 2017 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first anti-discrimination law in the region”, the King said, adding that Jordan has also launched a national strategy for inclusive education, and a national plan for accessibility.

His Majesty stressed that COVID has slowed down progress in ensuring inclusion and threatened some of the gains made in the employment of persons with disabilities, noting that as economic growth falters, the resources earmarked for inclusive development at the national level have become harder to attain.

“This is why Jordan and other countries in the region and beyond look to our international partners to help ensure that attention to the rights of persons with disabilities remains integral to political, economic, and social development efforts, through disability-sensitive support,” the King noted.

In addition, His Majesty underlined that “the political engagement of persons with disabilities is by no means less important than their economic engagement. They are part of societies everywhere, and that must be reflected in education, health care, business, sports, tourism in all facets of life. None can be dismissed as a luxury”.

The Global Disability Summit, held for the second time, is organized this year by the governments of Norway and Ghana, and the International Disability Alliance.

The summit seeks to enhance cooperation between states, international organisations, civil society and other stakeholders to increase inclusive development, especially in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The themes of the summit include enhancing the capacity of organisations of persons with disabilities, inclusive education and health services, inclusive employment, and inclusion in situations of crises and conflict, with a focus on climate change.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Lower House Speaker, Abdul Karim Dughmi, received Wednesday in Cairo President of the Algerian People’s National Assembly, Ibrahim Boughali, on the sidelines of the 32nd Conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) currently held in Egyptian capital.

Dughmi lauded ties between the two countries, which represent a model in joint Arab action, voicing Jordan’s keenness to support the Arab summit to be held in Algeria later.

He underlined the Jordanian Parliament’s keenness to strengthen partnership and cooperation with the Algerian People’s National Assembly through the exchange of parliamentary visits and expertise in various fields.

For his part, Boughali said Algeria’s people and leadership’s appreciate Jordan’s stances, stressing his country’s keenness to coordinate with the Kingdom on various issues.

He added that Algeria is looking forward to increasing trade exchange between the two countries and benefiting from the Jordanian parliamentary experience.

Jordan’s ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative to the Arab League, Amjad Adaileh, and Algerai’s ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative to the Arab League, Hamid Chebira, attended the meeting.

Dughmi, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, had arrived in Cairo to participate in the 32nd conference of the AIPU, where he was received at Cairo International Airport by President of the Arab Parliament, Adel Al Asoomi.

An official source from Public Security Directorate (PSD) on Wednesday said ten people were nabbed in a number of governorates countrywide a few days ago, based on “purely legal procedures not related to any political activity or tendencies.”

The source noted the arrests were based on those judicial subpoenas, related to charges, including “dissemination of false news that could stir up strife.”

The detainees were transferred to the competent judicial authorities, in accordance with the provisions of the law, the source added.

The source denied that the arrests were related to any other matter or activity, adding that Jordan’s “impartial” judiciary has the final say in this regard under the umbrella of the law.

Source: Jordan News Agency

A total of 5 aftershocks early Wednesday followed the earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale that struck Lake Tiberias late Tuesday, Director of the Jordanian Seismological Observatory (JSO) Ghassan Sweidan said.

“The aftershocks ranged between 2 and 3.4 degrees on the Richter scale,” he added.

Source: Jordan News Agency