The International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women (UNW) hosted the closing event of the Joint Programme "Promoting Productive Employment and Decent Work for Women in Egypt, Jordan, and Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)" (JP Work4Women) on Thursday, 29 August 2024, in Amman. The event was held under the patronage of Her Excellency Maha Ali, Secretary General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW).
The JP Work4Women, a five-year programme which extended from 2019 to 2023 and was supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), aimed at tackling the structural barriers women face in accessing decent work in Egypt, Jordan and The Occupied Palestinian Territory.
This closing event served as a platform to showcase the project's key achievements and highlight promising practices and lessons learned from the programme. It was attended by representatives from government bodies, NGOs, community-based organizations, the private sector, employers' and workers' organizations, donors, UN agencies, media, and other stakeholders.
Across the three countries and throughout the project, close to 2.4 million beneficiaries and partners were engaged in capacity building opportunities, accessed technical assistance to develop gender sensitive policies and laws and to create a more gender-sensitive private sector. Many also participated in advocacy and awareness campaigns.
© ILO/Salman Sami / 29 August 2024/ Amman, Jordan In her opening remarks, ILO Jordan Country Coordinator & Senior Regional Employment Policy Specialist Amal Mowafy stated: "The achievements we celebrate today are the result of joint efforts and strong partnerships with national and international partners. This collaboration has not only aligned Jordanian national legislation with international standards, but also contributed significantly to progress in critical areas, such as preventing violence and harassment in the world of work, achieving gender pay equity, and empowering women in leadership positions."
UN Women Representative to Jordan Nicolas Burniat stated: "One of the aspects of the programme which we are probably the proudest about, is to have contributed to the creation of a political climate in which the economic empowerment of women has become a national priority for the government of Jordan. The end of this Joint Project is but the beginning of the next phase of our work and we are committed to continue working with all our partners to support the implementation of the Engendered Strategy under the Economic Modernization Vision and the National Strategy for Women".
The new Regional Director for development cooperation responsible for the Swedish government´s regional strategy for the MENA-region stated "Sweden has been supporting the Joint Program from the Swedish government´s regional strategy for development cooperation in the MENA-region since 2019. We have been through many challenges, but despite these challenges and with joined forces between the ILO and UN Women, the Program has contributed to achieving medium to long-term sustainable impacts by supporting systemic and structural changes that create a favourable environment for women´s employment".
H.E. Khaled Alfanatsah, President of Jordan's General Federation of Trade Unions, said: "Trade Unions play a vital role in protecting rights of workers, including women. They work to improve working conditions, negotiate on wages, and provide a safe working environment. Unions also help empower women by increasing their economic participation and reducing unemployment among them".
© ILO/Salman Sami / 29 August 2024/ Amman, Jordan H.E. Maha Ali, JNCW Secretary General, highlighted that the commission's work on the economic empowerment pillar and its initiatives in the Executive Plan of the Women's Strategy (2023-2025) intersects with some activities that emerged from the Decent Work for Women Project. These include labour market regulations, the review of entrepreneurship-related legislation, the enhancement of policies aimed at addressing the gender pay gap, and the development of legislative demands for amendments to the Labour Law to ensure justice and equal opportunities.
Al-Ali then presented some of the most notable amendments to the Jordanian Labour Law in recent years. These included the introduction of flexible work arrangements, paternity leave, the issuance of the Agriculture Regulation in 2021, the adoption of a unified contract in the private sector in 2023 and efforts to automate it. She also discussed amendments to the Social Security Law, and the unification of maternity leave with the private sector. Al-Ali emphasized the necessity of enforcing these legislations and translating legal texts into reality to ensure women's economic empowerment and increase their economic participation.
The event also featured moderated panel discussions where stakeholders from the government and the private sector shared their experiences and insights into advancing women's economic participation.
© ILO/Salman Sami / 29 August 2024/ Amman, Jordan Throughout the day, the event also hosted an exhibition which was open to the public, to showcase the different interventions and initiatives implemented under the programme. The exhibition shed light on women's empowerment practices across various fields, including business, leadership, care economy, sports, and non-traditional sectors. Attendees explored dynamic exhibits showcasing the Joint Programme's journey and engaged with interactive learning stalls that fostered knowledge exchange between participants and Joint Programme beneficiaries.
The Joint Programme closing event marked a significant milestone in ILO's ongoing efforts to promote gender equality and women's economic empowerment in Jordan and the broader MENA region.
© ILO/Salman Sami / 29 August 2024/ Amman, Jordan 
