Jordan Times
Friday, January 20, 2006
Government has a clear vision to address poverty — PM
AMMAN (JT) — Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on
Thursday said his government “has a clear vision to address poverty and
unemployment.”
The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted the premier as saying the government's
strategy seeks to transform poor people from “recipients of assistance to
productive members of the community.”
Bakhit highlighted the role played by the Ministry of Social Development in this
regard.
At a meeting with senior officials at the ministry yesterday, the premier said
the government is studying the establishment of a higher council or body for
social development to be in charge of efforts to combat poverty and
unemployment.
He said the establishment of such a body would not mean merging funds and
organisations concerned with these issues, which are considered Jordan's major
challenges, but rather “a matter of distribution.”
The council was suggested by the National Agenda Committee, which presented its
recommendations to His Majesty King Abdullah in November last year.
The premier also announced that the government would soon increase the number of
houses built for poor families from 600 to 2,000, a move ordered by King
Abdullah.
The Monarch has approached the problem of housing for the underprivileged
through two initiatives.
He has directed successive governments over the past few years to build proper
housing units free of charge, while last year he directed the government to
allocate state land for projects implemented by private urban developers to
provide homes for the poor at affordable prices.
Minister of Social Development Suleiman Tarawneh told the meeting the government
has built 450 houses since 2003 for poor families, while 266 are expected to be
ready this year.
He said, however, that 11,000 residential units are currently required to meet
the demand.
Ministry officials also briefed Bakhit on progress on a plan to compile a
database on poverty in the Kingdom.
The need for such database, as stressed by the King on more than one occasion,
is to better regulate assistance distribution and avoid duplicity and confusion.