Regional conference on women’s political participation kicks off today

AMMAN - Deputizing for Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Culture Minister Hiafa Najjar attended, on Friday, a regional conference under the theme "Women’s Engagement in Political Parties in the Arab Region," which organized by the Ministerial Committee for Women Empowerment, the UN Women and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).اضافة اعلان

Addressing the two-day conference, Najjar said that the modernization of the political system including the amendments to the election and political parties laws and the related constitutional amendments will enhance the representation of women in political parties.

She pointed out that Jordan was built on the foundations of pluralism, partnership, respect for others and acceptance of differences, stressing the importance of working on the concept of citizenship.

Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Head of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Women Empowerment, Wafa Bani Mustafa, stressed that the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, has started its second centennial with unwavering steps towards reform and modernization through the outcomes of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System and the Economic Modernization Vision.

Bani Mustafa indicated that His Majesty the King stresses the importance of the role of youth and women in public life, and the need to create a legislative and political environment that guarantees their role.

UN Resident Coordinator a.i and Humanitarian Coordinator, Ghulam Mohamamd Isaczai, noted that the Middle East and North Africa is the only region where women hold less than 20 percent of seats in parliaments.

He pointed out that Jordan has adopted initiatives to reform the legal and institutional frameworks to promote greater participation of women in politics, increase their political participation at the national and local levels, ratify international conventions to protect women's rights and provide opportunities to increase their political representation.

Vice President of the Coalition of women MPs from Arab countries to combat violence against women, Majida Nowaishi, said the coalition aims at developing the legislative framework for combating violence against women and to coordinate efforts in the field of combating violence against women at the national and regional levels.

the event in its first day was attended by ministers, senators, MPs, members of municipal councils, representatives of foreign embassies in Jordan and a number of women studies and research centers.

The event attracted women members of Coalition of Women MPs from Arab Countries to Combat Violence against Women, and experts and politicians from Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Algeria, Sudan, Libya, Palestine, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Norway and the UK.