Jordan Times
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Experts review National
Strategy for the Jordanian Family
By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN — Health, education and social development specialists gathered at the
University of Jordan on Tuesday to discuss the draft of the National Strategy
for the Jordanian Family.
The national strategy was developed through the concerted efforts of
specialists, researchers and officials, under the supervision of the council,
and in close consultations with ministries, public institutions, civil society
organisations and families.
It is based on analytical research and studies pertaining to the status of the
Jordanian family, its traits, and needs, as well as the challenges facing it,
with the aim of identifying tools through which the family can better perform
its duties and enjoy its rights, while assuming a pivotal role in development.
“The strategy is the first of its kind in the Kingdom since it deals with the
family as one unit and covers all the needs and basic rights of the family,”
Muna Khazaleh, director of the policies and planning unit at the National
Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) told The Jordan Times.
She said the strategy would be officially launched by Their Majesties King
Abdullah and Queen Rania in September.
The strategy, she added, is designed to empower the Jordanian family to play its
role actively, foster its cultural role and abilities to maintain its identity
and tackle the effects of globalisation.
Under the strategy, all family-related laws and legislation in environmental,
health, social and other fields were revised so as to investigate gaps wherever
they are and address them, she said.
The strategy also seeks to enhance relations between Jordanian expatriate
families and the Kingdom, Khazaleh said, noting that it calls for increased
communication with these families so as to keep them informed of what happens in
the Kingdom.
According to Khazaleh, there are around 450,000 Jordanian expatriates worldwide.
At yesterday's workshop to discuss the draft, UJ President Abdul Rahim Hunaiti
said the strategy is an important step towards activating the role of the
Jordanian family, “especially since we live in a stage full of socio-economic,
political and knowledge changes that affects the individual and the family,” the
Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
NCFA Deputy Secretary General Samar Haj Hassan told participants the Jordanian
family is facing a lot of challenges that hinder it from playing its role and
expose it to disintegration.
She added that the effects of globalisation contributed in marginalising the
family and its role.
The strategy, funded by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), will
be implemented by the NCFA in cooperation with other concerned authorities.
Several similar workshops have been held recently to present and discuss the
draft of the strategy in the northern and southern regions of the country.
Representatives from the ministries of health, education, social development,
NCFA and other NGOs attended the workshop.