The Jordan Times
By JT



AMMAN-HRH Princess Basma, the honorary human development ambassador for UNDP and goodwill ambassador for UN Women and UNFPA, on Sunday attended a ceremony to mark the 69th anniversary of the establishment of the UN.

Held under the title uniting performance, the event shed light on the UN′s achievements at the humanitarian level and the need to raise stakeholders awareness of the need to unify the efforts of UN missions in Jordan.

This is a time when communities in different parts of the world, including this region in particular, and most specifically its women and children, are being subjected to the harshest of suffering, said the princess, according to a statement sent to The Jordan Times.

She added that the escalating conflicts and subsequent mass migrations witnessed every day have created challenges for the UN and its organisations on a scale that is hard to imagine.

Meanwhile, on a day-to-day level, women′s voices and needs are still too frequently overlooked. We are still a long way off from making acceptable progress on issues such as domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking and early marriage, she noted.

Princess Basma cited the upcoming 16 days of worldwide activism against gender-based violence mobilised by the UN, which she said is a rallying cry for raising societal awareness and increasing the commitment to curtail such practices and crimes.

On the other hand, she noted that the level of unemployment is still high at 23.2 per cent, compared to the world average of 13.9 per cent.

Hence, targeted initiatives aimed at strengthening young people′s participation and building their capacities have yet to achieve their goals, Princess Basma said, stressing that the global vision to achieve sustainable development for all requires individual efforts.

Whether at the global, regional or local levels I think that there is no better partner than the UN, the princess noted.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said Jordan has always been committed to cooperating with the UN at several levels since becoming a member in 1955.

The Kingdom, Judeh added, has been an active partner in UN peacekeeping missions through its armed forces.

He unveiled plans to host a regional preparatory meeting in Amman in March for the World Humanitarian Summit to come up with an international strategy to organise relief efforts targeting people affected by crises, especially in the Middle East.

Judeh reiterated Jordan′s stance in supporting a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian issue, citing the Kingdom′s efforts as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

He also highlighted Jordan′s commitment to highlighting unilateral Israeli measures in occupied Jerusalem and coordinating with senior UN officials to bring them to an end.

For his part, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon said Jordan is a model for development in all areas despite the impact of the regional turmoil on its limited resources.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Princess Basma inaugurated a photo exhibition depicting the humanitarian efforts of UN organisations in Jordan.