The Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies at Yarmouk University organized the dialogue symposium "The Role of Women in Elected Councils in Political Empowerment and Community Accountability" as part of the "Integrity: Promoting Community Accountability and Empowerment" project. Dr. Musa Rababah, VP of the University for Academic Affairs and representative of the president of Yarmouk University, sponsored the opening of the activities. "Investment in civil society institutions for good governance," financed by the European Union Delegation to Jordan and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development.
Members of the Irbid Governorate Council Lilas Al-Dalqamuni and Rula Batayneh, MP Asma Al-Rawahneh, head of the Jordanian Women Parliamentarians Forum, and MP Dr. Sabah Al-Dardour attended the symposium.
In his speech, Rababa emphasized that Yarmouk has a rich history of strong female representation in leadership roles, something of which the city can be justifiably proud. He went on to say that the Hashemite dynasty encouraged Yarmouk's female residents to carve out successful careers, and that these women helped push the country forward in many other areas as well.
He emphasized that the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies is committed to supporting, empowering, and enhancing Jordanian women at all times and that universities should take the lead in undertaking research that helps women succeed in life.
Rababa said that Jordanian women's rise to their rightful place is a direct result of His Majesty King Abdullah II's plans to update the country's governmental structure and empower Jordanian women to fulfill their full potential in all spheres of society.
Under the auspices of His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince, the Center's director, Dr. Batoul Al-Muhaisen, emphasized that the center's primary mission is to empower and assist Jordanian women in all aspects of life.
Women have become a symbol of excellence, achievement, political empowerment, and societal accountability, she said. Today's symposium is here to discuss a major topic of national development: the elected councils that represent our democratic identity. She went on to say that groups that need empowerment are not weak or marginalized; rather, they can take advantage of opportunities if given them and can build and give regardless of the circumstances.
"The role of female parliamentarians in political empowerment and societal accountability" was one of several subjects covered during the conference. "Women in municipalities and the integration of community roles to achieve effective partnership" and "[The role of governorate councils in empowering women to exercise their service roles and enhancing community participation]."
Women make up half of society and are responsible for raising and caring for the other half; thus, it is crucial that they be empowered, MP Al-Rawahna said at the symposium. Political issues, seen as the foundation for advancing women's representation in decision-making roles, require her to be well-versed. She should also understand the significance of "empowerment," which entails designing programs specifically tailored to Jordanian society and its distinctive features. These programs should educate women about the laws and empower them to hold their lawmakers and bureaucrats to account.
She went on to say that governorate councils are crucial to local development, that women should be active in political parties, and that parties and party programs are important.
Rep. Al-Dardour echoed this sentiment, stating that initiatives aimed at empowering women should cover all bases and address women's participation in society, politics, the environment, education, and the economy. She also emphasized the significance of conducting research and development projects with a focus on women to help them achieve their full potential.
Al-Batayneh asserts that elected councils should not view women's political empowerment as an independent issue, but rather as an integral part of their work. She went on to say that there are many different aspects of women's empowerment and that these aspects must coordinate with one another in a way that is compatible with priorities and needs identification in order to benefit political work.
She emphasized that women in Jordan have made progress toward political empowerment, but that there is room for improvement and that the key is for society as a whole to share experiences, information, and skills in order to prevent provincial councils from isolating themselves and instead relying on collaborative efforts between institutions and individuals. Growing up in a Jordanian family ensures a head start, which is particularly important given that the country is following a political party-based road map.
According to Al-Dalqmouni, Jordan has been and continues to be actively working to raise women's status in all areas of society, including politics, economics, and culture. She highlighted that the past few years have been encouraging for women's participation in public and political life, thanks to the goals set by His Majesty the King and his encouragement and support of women. The royal discussion papers, particularly the fourth and seventh articles, made it clear that they were Jordanians.
Achieving justice and gender equality in rights and opportunities, she emphasized, requires a quantum leap. She also emphasized the significance of women believing in themselves and working to change cultural norms and social trends that limit women's ability to exercise their rights.
As Al-Dalqamuni pointed out, the reform process cannot move forward without achieving political reform, which starts with the active engagement of citizens (both sexes) in decision-making, execution, and confronting problems, particularly economic ones... This is the foundational pillar of sustainable development and comprehensive reform.
It is noteworthy that the participation of the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women’s Studies in the “Integrity” project comes within the “Enhancing Community Accountability in Municipalities” segment, which aims to achieve good governance and the principles of transparency and integrity in municipalities, and to identify mechanisms for increasing the participation of citizens, women, and marginalized groups in decision-making and holding municipalities accountable for... The services provided to them, and clarifying the role of women, youth and the elderly in community participation and accountability to municipalities in a way that ensures that they fulfill their basic needs and meet their constitutional rights, and work to build the capabilities of employees and develop their performance in municipalities, and learn about the role of municipal councils in serving citizens, in order to achieve a number of goals such as enhancing Participation of women, youth and the elderly in community accountability of municipalities, and improving the performance of municipal employees.
Representing the President of Yarmouk University, Dr. Musa Rababah, Vice President of the University for Academic Affairs, sponsored the opening of the activities of the dialogue symposium “The Role of Women in Elected Councils in Political Empowerment and Community Accountability,” which was organized by the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women’s Studies at the University within the “Integrity: Promoting Community Accountability and Empowerment” project. Civil society institutions to achieve good governance” funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development - the European Union Mission in Jordan.
The chair of the Jordanian Women Parliamentarians Forum, MP Asma Al-Rawahneh, MP Dr. Sabah Al-Dardour, and members of the Irbid Governorate Council, Lilas Al-Dalqamuni and Rula Batayneh, participated in the symposium activities.
In his speech, Rababa stressed that Yarmouk has highlighted, in its history, a great presence of women in all positions and fields, which we can only be proud of and cherish, stressing that, with the support of the Hashemite leadership, she was able to chart her path with ability and success, and contributed to the advancement and development in the political, social, economic, educational and other fields.
He stressed that the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women's Studies always seeks to support, empower, and enhance Jordanian women, stressing the need for universities to assume responsibility for conducting studies that advance women, develop their capabilities, and meet their ambitions on an ongoing basis.
Rababa pointed out that Jordanian women have been able to achieve the status they deserve, based on the visions of His Majesty King Abdullah II to modernize the political system so that Jordanian women can carry out their renaissance role in all aspects of life.
The Center's director, Dr. Batoul Al-Muhaisen, stressed that supporting and empowering Jordanian women in various fields is the center's work and the main goal it seeks to achieve, guided by the directives of His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince.
She pointed out that today's symposium comes to discuss a major topic of national development, which is the elected councils that represent our democratic identity, noting that women have become a symbol of excellence, achievement, political empowerment and societal accountability, in which we see a qualitative administrative approach to empowering groups that need empowerment, not because they Weak or marginalized, but because they are able to take advantage of opportunities if they are given them, and because they are able to build and give, regardless of the circumstances.
Within the symposium’s activities, several topics were discussed: “The role of female parliamentarians in political empowerment and societal accountability,” “The role of governorate councils in empowering women to exercise their service roles and enhancing community participation,” and “Women in municipalities and the integration of community roles to achieve effective partnership.”
During the symposium, MP Al-Rawahna stressed the importance of empowering women, as they represent half of society in numbers and raise and care for the other half. She must have knowledge of political issues, which are considered the basic structure that will lead to a deeper and greater build-up in women’s access to decision-making positions, noting that “empowerment “Through which specialized, clear and carefully prepared programs are developed that are appropriate to the nature and environment of Jordanian society, such that these programs make women fully aware of the laws and enable them to hold accountable those who make these laws and those who implement them.
She stressed the importance of parties and party programmes, the need for women to participate in parties, in addition to the importance of governorate councils in serving local development.
In turn, Representative Al-Dardour stressed that programs targeting women and their empowerment must be purposeful and comprehensive programs for the various aspects of social, political, environmental, educational and economic life, as well as the importance of implementing development projects and research studies that target women and positively impact the empowerment of women in their various roles.
While Al-Batayneh explained that the political empowerment of women is considered one of the important areas of work in elected councils and is not separate from other areas, noting that the areas of empowerment are multiple and need to work together and in a compatible manner that is consistent with priorities and identifying needs, which serves political work.
She stressed that political empowerment requires the transfer of experiences, knowledge, and skills among members of society so that the provincial councils are not closed in on themselves, but rather rely on participatory work between institutions and individuals, pointing out that women in Jordan have taken good steps in political empowerment, but they need to be strengthened. Raising up in Jordanian families so that you are in the first ranks, especially since Jordan is now on a new road map that is based on political parties.
For her part, Al-Dalqmouni said that Jordan has made and is still making clear efforts to improve the status of women at the policy and legislative levels as well as the social, economic and cultural fields, pointing out that recent years have become promising for the presence of women in political and public life, based on the visions of His Majesty the King and his encouragement and support for women. Jordanian, and this was evident in the royal discussion papers, especially the fourth and seventh papers.
She stressed the need to achieve a qualitative leap in achieving justice and gender equality in rights and opportunities, stressing the importance of women believing in themselves, and for women to work to change societal trends and culture that play an important role in restricting women and not enabling them to benefit from their rights.
Al-Dalqamuni pointed out that political reform is the basic pillar of sustainable development and comprehensive reform, and the reform process cannot proceed without achieving political reform, which begins with the active participation of citizens (men and women) in the decision-making process, its implementation, and confronting challenges, especially economic ones.
It is noteworthy that the participation of the Princess Basma Center for Jordanian Women’s Studies in the “Integrity” project comes within the “Enhancing Community Accountability in Municipalities” segment, which aims to promote good governance and the principles of transparency and integrity in municipalities, and to identify mechanisms for increasing the participation of citizens, women, and marginalized groups in decision-making and holding municipalities accountable for... The services provided to them, and clarifying the role of women, youth and the elderly in community participation and accountability to municipalities in a way that ensures that they fulfill their basic needs and meet their constitutional rights, and work to build the capabilities of employees and develop their performance in municipalities, and learn about the role of municipal councils in serving citizens, in order to achieve a number of goals such as enhancing Participation of women, youth, and the elderly in community accountability of municipalities, and improving the performance of municipal employees.
