Jordan Times
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Al-Ali reiterates commitment
to reform agenda
AMMAN (JT) — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali on
Saturday said as Jordan seeks to accelerate its political, social and economic
national reform agenda, it continues to count on US support.
During a meeting with a delegation from the US National Defence University (NDU),
the minister expressed the Kingdom’s appreciation for continued US assistance
over the years, which she said has supported Jordan’s development and reform
efforts.
She underlined some of the challenges facing the economy, including the rise in
international oil prices, the current account deficit and high poverty and
unemployment levels, in addition to the overall political climate in the region.
The minister also briefed the delegation on the measures taken by the
government, since 2005, to address and mitigate the impact of these challenges.
Al-Ali reiterated Jordan’s commitment to its reform agenda targeted at a better
life for All Jordanians and embedded in the recently adopted “We are All Jordan”
initiative, which was developed through the extensive participation of all
segments of society.
For their part, the delegates highlighted the recognition that Jordan receives
at various levels of the US administration and the pivotal role it plays on the
political and economic spheres, regionally and globally.
The NDU, considered a world leader in national and international military
education, prepares military and civilian leaders from the United States and
other countries to address national and international security challenges
through multi-disciplinary educational programmes, research, professional
exchanges, and outreach. NDU graduates have gone on to hold leadership positions
in both the United States and across the world.
Meanwhile, on Friday Al-Ali told participants in a panel discussion at the Women
Business Leaders Summit that Jordan has been implementing a comprehensive
strategy over the past few years to enhance the role of women and increase their
economic and political participation through gender mainstreaming in planning
and policy-making processes.
The minister, who chaired the panel discussion entitled, “How Do You Spell
Success?” noted that the Kingdom is often held up as an example of a small,
low-middle income country with limited resources that understands that its
competitive advantage lies in its people, and has accordingly invested in its
human resources over decades.
Highlighting the challenges facing women in the private sector, Al-Ali
emphasised that women can excel in the workplace provided they have the
qualifications and drive.
Commending the leadership in Jordan and the region, she noted that such an
environment increases opportunities for young women to realise their full
potential and establish themselves as competent business leaders in both the
private and public sectors.
“The ultimate goal is to provide women with an equal opportunity to shape the
policies that affect their lives and to participate fully in the Jordanian
society at large,” Al-Ali said, adding, that to reach that end, the government
has devised several measures to empower women politically, socially, and
economically, with focus on reforming education, improving health, and
increasing the public’s economic and civic participation.
Despite the government’s good record of gender parity in education, she
explained that only about 13 per cent of Jordanian women were economically
active in the formal sector, and that while overall unemployment is about 15 per
cent, it was 25 per cent among women.
She added that although 90 per cent of all businesses are small- and
medium-sized enterprises, women constituted only 4 per cent of Jordanian
entrepreneurs.
“To this end, we have created partnerships among government agencies, businesses
and local NGOs to provide training, mentoring and income-generating projects to
engage women in fast-growing new sectors like ICT, and to provide microcredit
and SME loans to entrepreneurial women in rural areas, villages and towns all
over the country,” she said.
Al-Ali noted that among the most persistent barriers facing businesswomen were
the psychological limitations created by what the society depicts as possible.
“I believe there is nothing that predetermines our abilities on the basis of
gender,” the minister affirmed, while underlining the role of the family in
instilling the values of a strong work ethic, good education, and the
responsibility to become productive members of society.
The panelists exchanged personal experiences and ideas on ways to address
challenges facing women in business everywhere and also answered questions
raised by participants on keys to their successes and the ways in which they
faced the challenges they encountered.
Fifty women business executives from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates
and 50 women business leaders from the US took part in the summit, a
public-private sector outreach programme designed to facilitate links between
American, Jordanian, and the broader Middle Eastern business communities.