AMMAN — The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Women's Empowerment, chaired by Minister of Social Development Wafaa Bani Mustafa, met on Tuesday with UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous to discuss cooperation in women’s support and empowerment initiatives. 

 

The meeting was attended by Minister of Transport and Labour Nidal Qatamine, Minister of Education and Human Resource Development Azmi Mahafzah, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nancy Namrouqa, Minister of Youth Raed Adwan, Minister of Health Ibrahim Badour, Minister of Environment Ayman Suleiman, alongside secretary-generals and representatives of partner entities.

 

Bani Mustafa stressed that Jordan has made "notable" legislative and policy strides to advance women's rights and boost their economic, political, and social participation, reflecting its commitments to enhancing women's presence in public life.

 

She added that empowering women is a shared national responsibility that underpins comprehensive development and sustainable economic growth, according to a statement by The Inter- Ministerial Committee for Women's Empowerment.

 

The minister reviewed key legislative achievements, national strategy developments, and initiatives implemented by the committee to increase women's presence in decision-making positions and expand their economic role into tangible results.

 

Bani Mustafa highlighted the recent launch of the "Institutional Seal for Supporting and Empowering Women in the Public and Private Sectors", implemented in cooperation with the King Abdullah II Centre for Excellence (KACE) and the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

 

"As a pioneering initiative locally and regionally, the seal measures gender equality compliance and promotes a fair work environment aligned with the Economic Modernisation Vision, while enhancing private sector competitiveness", she noted.

 

The minister expressed appreciation for UN Women’s role in supporting national efforts under the Economic Modernisation Vision and the National Strategy for Women, calling for expanded cooperation to serve Jordan’s development priorities.

 

Participants discussed partnership prospects in decent work, transport, health, education, diplomacy, conflict resolution, youth, sports, artificial intelligence, environment, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas.

 

Discussions also focused on boosting female labour force participation through improved care services, childcare policies, and safe, accessible transport.

 

For her part, Bahous commended Jordan’s legislative and policy progress in recent years, praising the leadership of Bani Mustafa and the ongoing efforts of the committee members.

 

She noted that these achievements reflect Jordan’s commitment to placing women's participation at the core of its modernisation vision.

 

Bahous highlighted that women are vital partners in driving innovation, productivity, and inclusive growth across all sectors, from education and digital transformation to public management and political leadership.

 

She reiterated UN Women's commitment to strengthening ties with Jordan, emphasising that the next stage focuses on translating legislative and policy gains into direct benefits for women and girls nationwide.

 

Bahous announced that Jordan has been selected as one of three priority countries under the new phase of the global UN Women programme, "Making Every Woman and Girl Count" (Women Count).

 

The programme will support the Economic Modernisation Vision by enhancing gender statistics to accurately measure women’s economic contributions, adding that UN Women looks forward to hosting the global launch of this phase in Jordan later this year, Bahous said.

 

She reaffirmed UN Women's ongoing support for the Jordanian government in achieving its national priorities to empower women and promote their participation across all walks of life.