Amman, Sept. 2 (Petra) -- Acting Senate President Abdullah Nsour and a UN Women delegation, headed by UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous, discussed Wednesday ways to strengthen cooperation on women’s empowerment and their participation in public, economic, and political life.
The meeting, held at the Senate during Bahous’ official visit to Jordan, was attended by Senate Women’s Committee Chair Kholoud Armouti and committee rapporteur Naseema Fakhri.
Talking at the meeting, Nsour said cooperation with UN Women should translate into practical programs and "measurable, sustainable" outcomes.
He pointed to Jordan's constitutional amendments and subsequent legislative and policy reforms related to labour, elections, political parties, and protection from violence as part of the Kingdom's efforts to strengthen women’s rights and participation.
He also called for building on women’s high educational attainment and identifying remaining priorities and challenges to increase their economic, social, and political participation.
Armouti, in turn, said the Senate Women’s Committee is following the integration of women’s issues into Jordan’s political, economic, and administrative modernization tracks, while reviewing relevant legislation and policies and promoting women’s participation in decision-making, economic empowerment, and social protection.
She added that the committee is also monitoring implementation of policies related to women to link legislation with public budgets to help translate empowerment objectives into implementable programs.
Bahous praised Jordan’s progress on women’s rights and highlighted the need to further increase women’s representation in local councils, leadership positions, and decision-making roles.
As for its goals, she said UN Women’s visit to the Senate aims to identify practical areas for cooperation, particularly increasing women’s participation in the labour market in line with their educational attainment and strengthening their role in the national economy.
Bahous also emphasized public-private partnerships, women’s leadership, economic justice, and participation in both formal and informal labour markets. Discussions also covered violence, discrimination, and bias against women, with particular attention to online violence against women on social media, as well as the impact of security and peace issues on women in the region and globally.
Fakhri proposed possibility of establishing a national observatory to monitor gaps between legislation and policies and their implementation in practice, to identify shortcomings and improve policies related to women’s empowerment.
//Petra// AO
