Irbid Governorate Council discussed with the International Labor Organization (ILO) network in Jordan, prospects to enhance cooperation, which would contribute to creating an "attractive and stimulating" work environment to establish projects that provide job opportunities. The council's head, Khaldoun Bani Hani, said this meeting precedes approving the projects' expenditure aspects included in 2024 budget, to work with the ILO to provide allocations to launch pilot projects that create more job opportunities. Bani Hani expressed the council's readiness to cooperate with the ILO in this aspect and establish productive projects in the Irbid governorate's districts. He also said the council could benefit from the organization's capabilities in networking with donors to establish development projects. For his part, the ILO network's director, Qais Qatamin, noted the organization is working with development partners, employers, provincial councils and municipalities, to establish economically feasible projects that take into account advantages of each governorate and district. Since 2016, he said the organization provided about 60,000 job opportunities for Jordanians and Syrian refugees after training beneficiaries on work, management and marketing methods, and other work requirements. Moreover, Qatamin noted volume of green jobs expected during the coming years will reach 100,000 sustainable or temporary jobs. Qatamin said establishment of projects for flower production, sale and coordination is one of the productive and income-generating projects, but requires integration of modern technological tools to reduce its water needs to the minimum level. He also noted number of flower farms in Jordan is 476, of which 22 farms were supplied with solar energy by ILO-affiliated donors. Cooperation in establishing productive projects will take into account employment of women and people with special needs to raise percentage of working and productive women, especially in flower arrangement and aromatic plant production, he pointed out.
Source: Jordan News Agency