AMMAN- Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal, Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on Wednesday attended the lunching ceremony of the National Population Strategy (2021-2030).

The strategy, launched by the Higher Population Council with the support of The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), complements the council's efforts to identify population priorities and provide an appropriate and supportive environment for population policies and issues in Jordan to exploit the demographic window and contribute to the well-being of citizens.

Her Highness Princess Basma confirmed in a speech at the launch ceremony, in the presence of the Ministers of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, Dr. Muhammad Al-Khalayleh, and Dr. Firas Al-Hawari, for Health, that the launch of this strategy coincides with two major global challenges, namely the continuation of the Corona pandemic, and the impact of its repercussions on efforts made to achieve development and respond to its requirements, in light of changing many priorities, and the second is represented by climate change and the natural disasters accompanying it, with the population of the earth approaching the eighth billion, 84% of whom live in developing countries, and the practice of non-environmentally friendly production activities and techniques.

Her Highness said that out of the 232 indicators of the goals of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development 2030, 100 are directly or indirectly related to the environment. She explained that the goals focus on basic priorities, including controlling population growth to harmonize between population and resources, reduce pressures on natural resources, change human consumption patterns, and establish ownership rights for shared natural resources among individuals, groups and nations.

Her Highness pointed out that Jordan, as it enters its second centenary, needs collective and national action, and cooperation with the international community to face all challenges, indicating that 40 percent of Jordan's population is under 18 years, and investment in them needs a lot of resources, plans and programs.

Princess Basma explained that the success of sectoral policies in the areas of health, education, water, population, environment, food security and the fight against poverty is the only way to reach the population opportunity represented by low dependency ratios, an increase in the productive age group, more achievements and enhanced social protection opportunities

In turn, the Secretary-General of the Higher Population Council, Dr. Abla Amawi, affirmed, in a speech on behalf of the council’s president, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Al-Shraideh, that the National Population Strategy (2021-2030) adopts a vision under which all residents of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan enjoy a state of health and well-being. Health, social and economic, based on priorities in light of the desk review of reports, studies, strategies and relevant literature.

According to Dr. Amawi, the challenges and priorities from which the strategy was built focus on four axes: health, reproductive and sexual health, the socio-economic axis, women and youth, and the axis of migration, asylum, and crises.

She said that population and development issues are among the most important issues that receive the attention of every country that seeks to achieve the social welfare of its citizens and enable them to obtain the basics of decent living, in a way that achieves comprehensive national economic and social development.

The Director of the Office of the United Nations Population Fund in Jordan, Inshirah Ahmed, reiterated the Fund's commitment to mainstreaming population dynamics, reproductive health, and gender issues in national development strategies; It adopts human rights, and considers the cultural and gender perspective.

She said that the conditions that Jordan is going through due to the waves of asylum and the Corona pandemic, require paying more attention to short-term planning to reduce the repercussions and increasing pressure on basic services, and long-term planning to enable it to continue its journey safely to ensure the achievement of sustainable development goals.

The conceptual framework of the strategy was based on the theory of change, which explains how a set of short- and medium-term results are interconnected in preparation for reaching a long-term goal, and It consisted of four dimensions, namely, construction, availability, empowerment, and the stage of well-being.

The strategy is a basic reference document that includes results, outputs and indicators, which Jordan aspires to achieve in cooperation with all partners at the sectoral and national levels which; this contributes to achieving harmonization between population growth and resources and achieving comprehensive development, by facilitating the realization and investment of the population opportunity.

The strategy is based on diagnosing the existing situation, responding as well to national and sectoral strategies, achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and Jordan's commitments to the decisions of regional and global conferences, following up on their recommendations, and building on the lessons learned and the results of the previous population strategy for the years (2000-2020).

The ceremony included the screening of an introductory film on the National Population Strategy (2021-2030), and a dialogue session on the needs of local community members and future aspirations related to population and development issues.