Amman, Sept. 1 (Petra) - The Inter-Ministerial Committee for Women’s Empowerment met on Tuesday with UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous to discuss venues of cooperation on a number of joint programmes aimed at supporting and empowering women.

Committee Chair Minister of Social Development Wafaa Bani Mustafa said that Jordan has made significant progress in legislation and policies aimed at empowering women, advancing their rights, and strengthening their economic, political, and social participation.

She noted that this progress showcases Jordan’s commitment to advancing women’s empowerment and enhancing their participation across public life. She stressed that women’s empowerment is a shared national responsibility that will contribute to achieving inclusive development and sustainable economic growth.

Bani Mustafa pointed to major achievements in legislation supporting women’s participation, the development of national policies and strategies, and a number of the committee's initiatives to strengthen women’s representation in decision-making positions, increase their economic participation, and translate these efforts into tangible results.

She noted that the committee recently launched the "Institutional Seal for Supporting and Empowering Women in the Public and Private Sectors" in cooperation with the King Abdullah II Center for Excellence and the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

Designed to boost women's economic role under the Economic Modernisation Vision (EMV), the initiative establishes clear workplace equality standards, helping local private firms create fair environments and compete globally.

Bani Mustafa expressed appreciation for the role played by UN Women in supporting Jordan's efforts to empower women and enhance their participation, in line with the priorities of the Engendered Strategy in the EMV and the National Strategy for Women. She called for expanding cooperation and partnership to support Jordan’s development priorities.

Bahous, for her part, lauded the close partnership between Jordan and UN Women, stressing that the priority in the next phase is to build on the important gains achieved in legislation and policies and translate them into tangible improvements in the lives of women and girls across the Kingdom.

Bahous said that this progress reflects Jordan’s commitment to placing women’s participation at the heart of its modernisation agenda and its recognition that women’s empowerment is fundamental to achieving development and prosperity in the Kingdom.

She stated that women are essential partners in Jordan's national development journey, bringing expertise, skills and capabilities that contribute to driving innovation, enhancing productivity and achieving inclusive growth.

Bahous announced that Jordan has been selected as one of three priority countries for the new phase of UN Women's global "Women Count" programme. She explained that the programme will support the implementation of the EMV by strengthening the production, accessibility, and use of data and statistics on women, thereby enabling a more accurate measurement of women’s contribution to the economy.

She stated UN Women’s interest in hosting the global launch of the new phase of the programme in Jordan later in 2026.

During the meeting, participants discussed achievements and opportunities for cooperation to bolster women’s roles and empowerment across a range of sectors, including decent work, transport, health, education, diplomacy, conflict prevention and resolution, youth and sports, artificial intelligence (AI), the environment and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, as well as the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.

Discussions focused on supporting efforts to increase women’s economic participation and national efforts to boost women’s participation in the labour market through the development of care and childcare policies, alongside measures related to safe and accessible transport.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Transport and Labour, Nidal Qatamin; Minster of Education and Human Resources Development, Azmi Mahafzah; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nancy Namrouqa; Minister of Youth Raed Adwan; Minister of Health Ibrahim Bdour; and Minister of Environment Ayman Suleiman, as well as secretary-generals and representatives of partner institutions.

//Petra// HA