Salt, Oct. 25 (Petra) -- Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa, deputizing for Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society, inaugurated the sixth Arab Women Engineers Forum at the Salt Heritage House on Sunday.
Held under the theme "The Role of Women Engineers in Planning Resilient and Sustainable Cities," the two-day forum brings together engineering professionals from Jordan and eight other Arab countries to discuss urban resilience, sustainability and women's role in shaping the future of cities.
In a speech delivered by Bani Mustafa on her behalf, Princess Sumaya emphasized women's pivotal role in achieving comprehensive development as equal partners with men in building and advancing society.
She highlighted women's contributions to raising future generations, strengthening family cohesion and participating in various fields, including politics and the economy.
The princess said engineering extends beyond equations and designs, representing creative thinking and constructive work that transforms ambitions into achievements serving humanity.
She pointed to engineering's historical role in building civilizations and cities, developing infrastructure and turning natural challenges into opportunities for progress.
Princess Sumaya stressed that resilient and sustainable cities require integrated engineering solutions, highlighting the essential role of women engineers in designing more people-centered urban environments.
Such cities, she said, should provide safe sidewalks, adequate lighting, accessible green spaces, convenient access to schools and hospitals, and energy-efficient buildings.
"Sustainable cities are not built with concrete alone, but with thinking that places people at the forefront of priorities and looks to the future with a vision that goes beyond present needs," she said.
She emphasized that women engineers, working alongside their male colleagues, play an important role in urban planning and development, helping build smarter cities that are more resilient to climate-related crises and responsive to people's needs.
Citing Salt as an example of engineering's role in heritage preservation, Princess Sumaya highlighted the contributions of an engineering team led by prominent Jordanian women engineers to documenting, preserving and developing the historic city's heritage.
She noted that these efforts contributed to Salt's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021 as "As-Salt – The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality." The achievement, she said, demonstrates engineering's ability to transform historical heritage into a foundation for the future.
Jordan Engineers Association President Abdullah Ghosheh said a resilient city is not one that never faces crises, but one that prepares for them, learns from them, protects its residents and recovers.
He explained that resilience goes beyond constructing roads and buildings to anticipating risks, planning ahead, protecting people and resources, and ensuring development continues.
Ghosheh said water scarcity, energy challenges, climate change and urban expansion require integrated engineering planning that connects infrastructure with public policy and quality of life.
He emphasized that sustainability depends on balancing economic growth, social justice and environmental protection, calling for the forum's outcomes to be translated into partnerships, projects and practical solutions that improve cities and residents' lives.
For his part, Abdulmohsen Kharabsheh, head of the Jordan Engineers Association's Balqa branch, said the forum raises fundamental questions about the role of Arab women engineers and how they can contribute to planning cities and shaping their future.
He expressed hope that the discussions would produce practical professional recommendations and a vision document reflecting Arab women engineers' perspectives on the future, engineering and development. Such a document, he said, could serve as an Arab reference for coordinating efforts toward cities better equipped to withstand crises, protect people and resources, and meet future needs.
Hanan Awad, Chair of the Arab Women Engineers Committee, said the forum's theme reflects an urgent challenge facing Arab cities amid climate change, resource scarcity and rapid urban expansion.
She noted that these pressures affect infrastructure and quality of life, stressing that women engineers' contributions extend beyond technical expertise, design and implementation to planning, decision-making and leading the transition toward safer, more inclusive and sustainable cities.
The two-day forum includes representatives from Palestine, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Syria, in addition to Jordan.
The forum opened with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Karak Governorate.
//Petra// AJ
