Amman, Sept. 18 (Petra)-- Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), and Minister of Environment Ayman Suleiman on Thursday signed a framework agreement for technical and research cooperation.

The agreement aims to strengthen institutional partnership between the RSS and the Ministry of Environment by expanding cooperation in environmental studies, monitoring, measurements, and environmental analyzes, while supporting data- and evidence-based decision-making.

Under the agreement, the ministry will benefit from the Society’s available scientific, technical, and laboratory capabilities in implementing studies, programs, and projects aligned with the ministry’s priorities. The RSS will also serve as a technical arm to support decision-making.

The areas of cooperation include monitoring the quality of surface and groundwater, dam and wadi water, and treated wastewater, as well as monitoring air quality, emissions, and soil. They also cover studies on climate change, the green and circular economies, integrated natural resource management, and waste management, in addition to environmental studies and specialized technical assessments.

The agreement provides for conducting scientific and technical research and studies, carrying out environmental and laboratory measurements and analyses, and implementing capacity-building, training, and knowledge-transfer programs.

Princess Sumaya said the agreement reflects the importance of harnessing science and technology to serve national priorities, stressing that the Society believes environmental protection and efficient natural resource management require decisions and policies based on reliable scientific data and advanced national capabilities.

She described the agreement as an important step toward deepening the partnership with the Ministry of Environment and placing the Society’s scientific, technical, and laboratory capabilities at the service of national efforts to address environmental and climate challenges and support sustainable development.

The Princess added that cooperation among national institutions should go beyond conducting studies and measurements to transforming scientific research and environmental monitoring findings into actionable knowledge that contributes to policy development, improved practices, and national capacity building.

For his part, Suleiman underscored the agreement’s importance in strengthening the ministry’s technical and scientific capabilities, noting that it provides an important framework for enhancing cooperation with the RSS and benefiting from its specialized expertise and technical and laboratory resources.

He said the partnership would support the ministry’s environmental monitoring and assessment efforts, the preparation of specialized studies, improved responses to environmental challenges, and decision-making based on scientific data and evidence.

Suleiman said the ministry seeks to expand cooperation with the Society on several major environmental projects, including the Yarmouk Basin, the National Water Carrier, nature reserves, waste management, recycling, and reuse.

He added that the ministry looks forward to working with the RSS to expand cooperation from the local to the regional level across various environmental fields through the submission of joint proposals, including proposals to the Union for the Mediterranean.

Suleiman noted that Jordan, as one of the countries most affected by the impacts of climate change, attaches great importance to accessing climate finance and directing it toward environmental and climate-related projects and programs. He highlighted the importance of benefiting from the presence of the Green Climate Fund’s regional office in Jordan to strengthen the Kingdom’s ability to attract funding and implement projects with sustainable impact.

He explained that the ministry is working to advance the transition toward the green and blue economies and expand related projects, contributing to sustainable development, improving resource-use efficiency, and creating new economic opportunities that take environmental and climate requirements into account.

Following the signing, the two sides agreed to hold working meetings between officials from the ministry and the Society to identify priorities and develop implementation plans for the framework agreement, with the aim of expanding and deepening cooperation in ways that serve the public interest.

They also agreed that projects, studies, monitoring programs, and activities would be implemented through separate agreements or executive contracts specifying the scope of work, deliverables, timelines, responsibilities, and implementation mechanisms for each project.

//Petra// MF