New York, March 12 (Petra) -- Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa held separate meetings on Thursday with UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group Amina Mohammed and with UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, on the sidelines of the 70th annual Commission on the Status of Women at UN headquarters in New York.

During her meeting with Mohammed, Bani Mustafa reviewed progress on the 2020-2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda and explored ways to strengthen cooperation on women’s empowerment. As Chair of the Ministerial Committee for Women’s Empowerment, she outlined Jordan’s national initiatives, highlighting partnerships with UN Women and programs designed to enhance women’s political and economic participation. These include capacity-building and training programs for women and girls, as well as national policies and strategies aimed at broadening their role in public life.

Both sides stressed the importance of sustaining cooperation and coordination in support of national efforts to advance women’s empowerment and broaden women’s participation in different development pathways.

Mohammed commended Jordan’s role in the region as a voice of wisdom, particularly its efforts in assisting refugees.

In her separate meeting with Bahous, Bani Mustafa discussed cooperation across social sectors and ministry-led programs, with a focus on the economic and political empowerment of women and girls.

She noted Jordan’s involvement in a regional initiative to increase women’s labor force participation in the green economy, information technology, and care economy sectors. The two officials also reviewed ongoing programs under the National Social Protection Strategy.

Bahous praised Jordan’s programs supporting women and highlighted the importance of continued partnership with the ministry, expressing optimism for further collaboration in the future.

//Petra// AO