The Higher Population Council and ShareNet Jordan organized a two-day workshop as part of the annual meeting for ShareNet Jordan members and partners, including officials and academics in the southern governorates. The first workshop was held at Al Hussein Bin Talal University, attended by the Vice President for Administrative Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Al-Rsa'i, and with the participation of academics from Al Hussein Bin Talal University and Mutah University, as well as representatives from health and education directorates, and civil society organizations in Ma'an, Karak, and Tafila governorates. The second workshop was held at the Princess Basma Center for Development in Aqaba, with representatives from the College of Nursing at the University of Jordan-Aqaba, health and education directorates, youth, and representatives of civil society organizations in Aqaba Governorate. These meetings coincide with the Higher Population Council's yearly commemoration of World Population Day, which falls in July.

At the beginning of these meetings, the Secretary-General of the Higher Population Council, Dr. Issa Al-Masarwa, reviewed the various aspects of the demographic situation in Jordan since the beginning of the third millennium and the changes that have occurred in the past two decades. At the end of his presentation, he emphasized that demographic changes in Jordan are significant matters as they affect all sectors and population needs and that their impact is long-term and extends for several decades.

The Director of the Studies and Policies Unit at the Higher Population Council / Coordinator of ShareNet Jordan, Ali Al-Mutlaq, presented an overview of the achievements of ShareNet Jordan for 2024 and the outcomes of the regional conference on integrating sexual and reproductive health concepts into educational curricula. This conference was organized by the council and ShareNet Jordan last April, with the participation of educational experts from the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Tunisia, the Republic of Lebanon, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, along with representatives from relevant national government ministries, NGOs, and academic institutions.

The principal researcher at the Higher Population Council, Ghaleb Al-Azza, presented: (A) A policy brief titled "Reducing Unjustified Elective Cesarean Sections," which was prepared by the council and ShareNet Jordan. The brief aimed to create a conducive policy context to limit elective cesarean sections to cases that necessitate medical necessity, especially as Jordan is witnessing a clear and continuous rise in the rates of elective cesarean sections without medical justification. The policy brief identified the problem, and its root causes, analyzed the political environment related to the issue, proposed alternative solutions addressing the root causes, evaluated these alternatives based on criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and feasibility, and selected the appropriate alternatives to solve the problem. (B) A fact sheet titled " Sexual Enhancement Drug Utilization in Jordan Insights and Risks " was prepared by the Higher Population Council and ShareNet Jordan. This was in response to the widespread promotion of sexual stimulants in Jordan through social media and satellite channels, presenting the facts and risks associated with this issue to raise awareness about the importance of safe and responsible sexual health, contributing to guiding health policies and education to reduce health risks faced by the population and enhance protective measures.

The researcher at the Higher Population Council, Worood Al-Batoush, presented the concept of practice committees in ShareNet, which serves to [briefly explain the purpose of practice committees]. The researcher at the Higher Population Council, Razan Al-Azza, also reviewed the theory of change in ShareNet and its development.