Netherlands embassy event celebrates Shiraka alumni, Int’l Women’s Day

AMMAN — Ambassador of the Netherlands to Jordan Harry Verweij hosted a networking event on Monday to celebrate the embassy’s Shiraka Alumni Network and International Women’s Day at The Space, a cultural hub in Jabal Amman.اضافة اعلان

According to a press statement, the event was attended by HRH Princess Dana Firas and over 70 alumni and leading women from various sectors of the embassy’s network.

In his welcoming remarks, Verweij shed light on the importance of International Women’s Day as an opportunity to take stock of progress made in the fight against gender inequality.

So great to mark #InternationalWomensDay2023 with an event to celebrate both our Shiraka Alumni & leading Jordanian 🇯🇴 women from different sectors. Your positive energy was contagious and inspiring. Special thanks to HRH @DanaFiras1 for attending. pic.twitter.com/MJsZE1LE4r

— Harry Verweij NLAmbJordan (@HarryVerweij) March 7, 2023

“In Jordan, we recognize the recent efforts adopted in political and economic modernization and the special attention that was paid to gender inclusion,” said the ambassador. “We stand ready to support these plans and will continue to work with our partners on bridging the gaps in inequality.”

Commitment to equal rightsIn addition, Verweij took the opportunity to announce that the Netherlands has recently adopted a Feminist Foreign Policy which “further reaffirms the commitment of the country to contribute to a better, more just world, in which women and men have equal rights and opportunities”, according to the statement.

“In Jordan, we recognize the recent efforts adopted in political and economic modernization and the special attention that was paid to gender inclusion.”

“In Jordan we will reinforce our interaction and exchange with all those who promote this cause”, he said.

Netherlands programsLastly, the envoy welcomed alumni of the Dutch funded Shiraka program, The Netherlands’ flagship knowledge exchange program for the MENA region, established in 2012. Since then, over 500 Jordanian civil servants and government employees have been trained in the Netherlands in various fields.

The Netherlands is offering 10 courses for Jordanian civil servants in 2023 alone, the statement said. In addition, two government-to-government programs will take place this year. The first will train young Jordanian diplomats in The Netherlands for a period of three weeks, and the second will be focused on Jordanian female judges.

The event on Monday was an opportunity for the embassy to meet with its network and for the alumni to reconnect with each other and meet their peers from other cohorts.


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