Amman, April 15 (Petra) – The Ministry of Social Development and the King Abdullah II Center for Excellence (KACE) signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday, launching an institutional seal to support and empower women in the public and private sectors.
It was inked by Minister of Social Development, Head of the Ministerial Committee for Women's Empowerment, Wafaa Bani Mustafa, and KACE Executive Director, Wedad Qutishat, according to a press release by the ministry.
"This collaboration, which entrusts the center with managing and awarding the institutional seal to support and empower women in the public and private sectors, is part of national institutional efforts aimed at promoting and empowering women economically," said Mustafa.
The seal, she pointed out, aligns with the economic modernization vision launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II, and is within the priorities of the Women's Empowerment Strategy.
"This underlines a political will to utilize the energies and potential of Jordanian women, and is a practical step towards improving and sustaining their participation in the labor market," she added.
The seal is the first initiative at both local and Arab levels to support and empower women in the public and private sectors as a tool to assess institutions' commitment to equality standards in accordance with international best practices and relevant national legislation, said the minister.
For her part, Maha Ali, Jordanian National Commission for Women Secretary-General, commented that the cabinet's adoption of the institutional seal is a key step towards fostering a work environment that is friendly and supportive of women's employment and professional development, based on the principle of equal opportunity.
"This will enable women to enter and remain in the labor market, thereby increasing their economic participation," said Ali.
Qutishat, the KACE Executive Director, said the institutional seal is within a comprehensive national framework, based on international standards with a national character that reflects Jordan's priorities in empowering women and enhancing their economic participation.
She pledged that KACE, with its extensive experience in developing models of excellence and institutional evaluation and implementing global best practices, will endeavor to implement the initiative according to the highest standards.
//Petra//SS
