Jordan Times
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
Participants in the National Conference on Poverty issue recommendations
AMMAN (Petra) — The two-day National Conference on Poverty and Unemployment
ended on Tuesday by adopting several recommendations and voicing appreciation of
efforts by His Majesty King Abdullah and the government to deal with the chronic
problem.
A statement issued at the closing session said the participants have studied and
approved the basic elements of a national plan to serve as a nucleus for a
national strategy which responds to the Kingdom's social and economic
development in the coming stage.
The participants, who represented the public and private sectors, agreed on
adopting a unified method to gauge and estimate the level and volume of poverty
and its main features in all governorates. They recommended that the country
should build on what has been achieved in human resources development, provide
continuous training and education and also restructure the educational system to
cater to the requirements of change and new trends.
They called for more efforts to explore new markets for qualified and skilled
Jordanians, especially in the Arab Gulf states, and urged the government to
reconsider the country's monetary policies and taxation laws.
The participants recommended that the government give due attention to the
development of local councils and offer incentives to major companies to take an
active role in development projects.
They also called for universities to carry out studies related to poverty and
unemployment, and turn out graduates equipped with skills to meet the demands of
the labour market.
Expressing appreciation of the Labour Ministry's decision to create an
employment centre to find jobs for the unemployed, the participants urged all
concerned parties to implement micro finance businesses which can produce goods
demanded by local markets.
In response to the prime minister's directives, a committee was created chaired
by the labour minister to follow up on the implementation of the
recommendations. The participants also decided to hold annual meetings to review
the implementation of decisions and recommendations.
NAF signs agreements with DEF, SSC
AMMAN (Petra) — The National Aid Fund (NAF) on
Tuesday signed agreements with the Development and Employment Fund (DEF) and the
Social Security Corporation (SSC) designed to help create job opportunities for
local job seekers.
Under the agreements, signed on the sidelines of the National Conference on
Poverty and Unemployment, loans will-extended to able-bodied beneficiaries of
the NAF enabling them to start income-generating projects and earn a living.
The three parties said the measure was taken so that money-lending institutions
can coordinate their work and avoid dual and overlapping lending services.