Author: Web Desk

Harry Verweij, the Ambassador of the Netherlands, and Kristoffer Vivike, the Ambassador of Denmark to Lebanon and Jordan, on Monday signed an agreement for an 8-million-euro contribution from the Netherlands to the Regional Development and Protection Program (RDPP), a multi-donor program led by Denmark with a total budget of 50 million euros. The RDPP will contribute to more self-reliant and resilient communities in Jordan. This will be done by focusing on job opportunities and protection for refugees and vulnerable Jordanian communities, in particular youth and women, said a statement by the Dutch embassy in Amman. In terms of employment, a comprehensive approach will be taken to promote decent and sustainable livelihoods through collaboration with the private sector, civil society and local authorities, added the statement. Regarding protection, emphasis will be put on women’s empowerment, combating child labor, and promoting decent working conditions. In addition, the RDPP aims to strengthen the roles of local organizations in supporting refugees and host communities. The program partners primarily with civil society and non-governmental organizations and national structures through direct funding for their activities while supporting the development of their institutional capacities. Speaking at the signing, Verweij highlighted the importance of this program by saying: “We are pleased to join the RDPP program. Our contribution embodies and combines three key priorities in the Dutch development cooperation program in Jordan: reaching and supporting vulnerable groups, notably refugees, women and youth, promoting job creation and, last but not least, enhancing the role of local actors in the refugee response.” For his part, Vivike said: “The RDPP is an important part of Denmark’s engagement to support Jordanian civil society organizations to improve livelihoods, protection, and job opportunities for both Jordanians and refugees. We are excited that the Netherlands has joined as a donor to the RDPP program. By joining forces, we are able to do even more and to impact positively the lives of refugees and vulnerable host communities in Jordan.” The RDPP was first initiated in 2014 as a response to address the humanitarian and development needs of refugees and affected host communities in the countries neighboring Syria. It is implemented primarily through partnerships with civil society, with a strong emphasis on localization. The majority of the partnerships are directly with national civil society actors, who are encouraged to engage with and capacitate national and sub-national institutions, ministries, municipalities, CBOs, and the private sector. Beyond Netherlands and Denmark, other donors to the third phase of the RDPP include the European Union, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Denmark is leading the implementation of the RDPP III, which covers Jordan and Lebanon, on behalf of the contributing donors.

Source. Jordan News Agency

Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Monday condemned the latest storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of Jewish settlers under the heavy escort of Israeli police. Some 430 extremist settlers staged a raid into the holy compound in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, in the latest breach of the sanctity of one of Islam’s holiest shrines. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called on Israeli authorities to “immediately stop such escalatory actions that provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world and stoke violence in the occupied Palestinian territories.” It reiterated its full commitment to supporting the “inalienable Palestinian rights and all endeavors to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue”, and urged international bodies and the United Nations to exercise their responsibility of protecting the Palestinian people’s rights. For its part, the Saudi Foreign Ministry called Israeli actions “a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions, and a provocation to the feelings of Muslims across the world.” The Saudi ministry held Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for the repercussions of such continued violations, urging the international community to assume its responsibilities to end the escalation, provide protection to civilians and exert all efforts to end the conflict.

Source. Jordan News Agency

The Higher Population Council (HPC) participated in the Arab Regional Conference on Population and Development Challenges and Prospects Ten Years after the Cairo Declaration for the year 2013. According to a statement issued by the HPC Monday, the two-day conference was held at the United Nations headquarters in Beirut last week. Its goal was to provide a common platform for brainstorming and discussions between Arab countries and stakeholders, allowing for the exchange of lessons learned and enable the governments of Arab countries to review the progress and challenges in implementing the commitments of the Cairo Declaration and to explore policy solutions to speed up its implementation. The statement indicated that this conference came within the context of the sixth regional review of the International Conference on Population and Development in the Arab States/Cairo Declaration 2013, providing the opportunity to present the main results of the regional review report on the progress made in implementing the Declaration, which collects the outcome of data and information stated in the national review reports. Jordan’s national review indicated that the last five years of action to implement the Cairo Declaration imposed difficult circumstances, exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic and its ramifications, which doubled the economic, social and political challenges and political instability in the region and had impacts on large segments of the Jordanian population. Nonetheless, the presentation also highlighted remarkable progress in many health, social, economic, political and educational fields in Jordan, not excluding challenges, most notably the complex repercussions of the Corona pandemic, global economic challenges, political instability in the Arab region, the refugee crisis, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. The population of Jordan has more than doubled over the past two decades, reaching 11.4 million people in mid-2023, with waves of refugees contributing more than half of this increase. Refugees have increased demographic, economic, environmental and security burdens, the presentation showed. Jordan is committed to allocating financial resources and providing the necessary human and technological capabilities to integrate population issues into planning, but as a result of the economic challenges it faces, there is a need for more financial and technical support in this field. The Kingdom has also ratified many international human rights treaties and agreements and has adopted and developed many national policies, strategies and plans consistent with human rights principles, as well as national, regional and international standards to promote various civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. The conference concluded with a set of recommendations, the most prominent of which were increasing financing to build institutional capacity, developing effective policy frameworks, implementation mechanisms and coordination between sectors, enhancing data collection and analysis, investing in research to support evidence-based policy making and efforts to mainstream gender equality and enhance sexual and reproductive services. It also recommended adopting a comprehensive approach for all stages of life and strengthening regional dialogue and cooperation to enhance population and development programs in the region and address cross-border challenges, including forced displacement, climate change, and food insecurity.

Source. Jordan News Agency