The Higher Population Council and Share-Net Jordan project launched three policy briefs on sexual and reproductive health issues in Jordan during the meeting held on Wednesday with representatives of relevant national agencies.

The first policy brief was entitled "Links between climate change and sexual and reproductive health in Jordan", the second was entitled "Impact of dropout of female students on women's economic participation and sexual and reproductive health in Jordan", and the third was entitled "The role of accountability in sustaining sexual and reproductive health programs in crises and fragile situations in Jordan."

The Director of the Study and Policy Unit of the Higher Population Council Ali Al-Metliq confirmed that this meeting is considered as part of the activities of The World Population Day, based on the Council's role as a resource for population and development issues, its concern to update and develop data and information on population and development, its proposal for population policies based on global evidence as well as Jordan's commitment to the implementation of the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development Cairo 1994 and commitments of the Nairobi Summit and the sustainable development agenda 2030, in line with the third goal of sustainable development "Ensure that all people enjoy healthy lifestyles and well-being at all ages and that everyone has the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health."

Al-Metliq indicated the importance of preparing the first policy brief "Links between climate change and sexual and reproductive health in Jordan." As part of the follow-up of Goal 13 of Sustainable Development Goals for taking urgent actions to address climate change and its effects, identifying research sources that measure indicators of climate change and their impact on women's sexual and reproductive health, and ensuring that the Higher Council of the Population keeps pace with recent issues that may have an impact on women's sexual and reproductive health in the short and long term, in order to mitigate the negative effects that may arise from climate change that has been occurring in the world for years and has been more visible in the last two decades.

The policy brief aims to draw attention to the need for medical education to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on sexual and reproductive health also it proposes four policies to highlight this aspect, as well as to follow up on this impact in the coming years, while the first policy is to guide scientific research in Jordan to link climate change to women's sexual and reproductive health the third policy relates to strengthening the role of the media in highlighting climate change and linking it to women's sexual and reproductive health in Jordan, the fourth aim is engaging the private medical sector in linking climate change to women's sexual and reproductive health in Jordan.

The second policy brief "The impact of dropout of female students on women's economic participation and sexual and reproductive health in Jordan" examined the problem of school drop-outs in terms of causes, the consequences of this problem, with emphasis on dropout of female elementary school students, the relationship between dropout and poverty and the economic status of the family, as well as the relationship between dropout and child marriage, domestic violence, child labor, education and reproductive health, sexual education, the importance of raising awareness among families about the dangers of school drop-outs, the role of schools and the school environment in general in reducing the drop-out problem, as well as the role of guidance counselor.

This brief proposed several policies to address this problem, notably addressing the problem of female students dropping out by identifying and addressing the causes behind it, addressing the problem of women's low participation in the labor market by focusing on education and the technical training of women, addressing the negative effects of dropout on women's sexual and reproductive health, developing a comprehensive awareness-raising plan to illustrate the seriousness of the marriage of girls under 18 and its negative effects on individuals, the family and society, and strengthening the role of educational guidance in reproductive health issues.

The third policy brief is "The role of accountability in the sustainability of sexual and reproductive health programmes in crises and fragile situations in Jordan. It aims to improve access of people affected by crises and fragile environments to better sexual and reproductive health information and services, reproductive rights and sexual and reproductive health care, as well as to accelerate progress in achieving national goals and relevant sustainable development goals, which can be achieved through the adoption and development of mechanisms and an accountability framework that will serve as a road map for donors and policymakers to promote a multi-sectoral participatory approach to the sustainability of sexual and reproductive health programmes.

In particular, the framework aims to strengthen coordination among the various stakeholders concerned to improve access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health for people affected by the crisis and vulnerability in Jordan, institutionalize multisectoral accountability in the area of sexual and reproductive health, and accelerate progress in the full realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all through effective accountability of the Government and all stakeholders.