Jordan Times
Wednesday, March 17, 2004

World Bank lauds Kingdom's efforts to ensure gender equality

The delegates, quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, highlighted amendments to women-related legislation, the women's quota at the Lower House and their representation in municipal councils.

The experts, who are in Jordan to draft a Country Gender Assessment (CGA) report, met with President of the Civil Service Bureau Mazen Saket, who briefed them on gender mainstreaming efforts in the country.

According to the official, the percentage of female civil servants in Jordan stands at 39 per cent. However, he acknowledged that women's presence in senior posts (directors and secretaries general) in the government stands at a meagre five per cent.

He told the World Bank officials that the percentage of female workers currently on internal and external training courses constitutes 34 per cent of the total training opportunities at present. However, women's share in external scholarships is much less, Saket said, attributing the fact to “extra social responsibilities shouldered by female civil servants, who have to attend to their families.”

The official underlined a package of laws enacted by the government to ensure fairness in dealing with female employees, who are their family's sole supporters. One regulation gives this category the right to health insurance for their dependents.

According to World Bank web sources, the CGA looks into individual countries' “identification of priority gender-responsive policies and interventions.”

“Work on gender issues needs to be country-specific and client-led... Gender analysis is integral to understanding how best to fight poverty and promote growth across sectors,” the organisation says.

Also Tuesday, Saket met a World Bank mission tasked with routine checks on procedures countries take to control public expenditure in relation to public employment.

The inspection visit is part of the bank's preparations to issue its overall annual country report.

Meanwhile, the World Bank, the city of Marseilles, and the Institut de la MÈditerranÈe opened the Middle East and North Africa Knowledge Hub (MKH) (1) in Marseilles.

Using state-of-the-art information and communications technology, the centre will help boost capacity for knowledge sharing and learning in the MENA region, a World Bank statement said.

The knowledge hub inauguration follows the launch of the second annual Knowledge for Development Conference in Marseilles. Sponsored by the World Bank, and the Institut de la MÈditerranÈe, the two-day conference explored the nexus of trade, competitiveness and the knowledge economy.

The two Marseilles events come as the MENA region faces unprecedented social and economic challenges, the statement said.

According to a recent World Bank report, the region must double today's employment levels by 2020, creating 100 million additional jobs. An increasingly educated and young population is entering already strained labour markets, with unemployment rates averaging 15 per cent. Jobless rates are on average 50 per cent higher among women than among men in the MENA region.

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