JORDAN ARMED FORCES – Armed Forces AND UN WOMEN SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Date:
Amman, Jordan. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Armed Forces and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) was signed on Monday, 8 July between Brigadier General Abdalah Al Huniti, Director of Planning and Organization in Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), and Mr. Ziad Sheikh, Representative for the UN Women Jordan Country Office.
"The signing of this memorandum is an opportunity to expand capacity building and training cooperation to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment. The Armed Forces made significant progress in enhancing women's role and maximizing their achievements," said Brigadier General Al-Hunaiti, who also recalled that women were integrated in the Armed Forces since the early fifties in the field of military education. Brigadier General Al-Hunaiti also acknowledged the work of the Directorate of Women's Affairs, established in the early 1990s, which later was renamed as the Department of Women's Military Affairs under a Royal Decree, in order to strengthen the role of women in armed forces and with the goal of building their skills. Within the framework of the MOU, UN Women will provide technical expertise and policy advice to Jordan Armed Forces to achieve gender-responsiveness and meaningful participation of women in the security sector and in peace operations. In 2019, UN Women already organized introductory and advanced trainings for security sector agencies on gender mainstreaming and gender analysis in military and peace operations. To promote exchange of good practices about the gender mainstreaming in security sector reform and accountability, UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) will also organize study tour for Jordanian security officials at the Nordic Center for Gender in Military Operations in Sweden.
Women in Jordan’s Armed Forces play a key role in maintaining stability and security, including through their deployment in international peacekeeping operations. Through this partnership, we will strengthen awareness on women’s contribution to the Armed Forces, as well as on the overall benefits of a more gender-responsive security sector for society.’ said Mr. Ziad Sheikh, UN Women Jordan.
In her presentation, Lt. Col. Maha Al-Nasser, Director of the Department of Women's Military Affairs, referred to the importance of the close cooperation and partnership between UN Women and the Armed Forces in promoting gender awareness and training opportunities for security sector personnel. Joint efforts will have a positive impact on the military sector, contributing to its strengthening and advancement.
This partnership will support the implementation of Jordan’s National Action Plan (JONAP) on UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security endorsed by the Government in 2017. The overall goal of the JONAP is to contribute to Jordan’s stability and security by improving operational security responses, as well as ensuring that the framework through which Jordan approaches peace and security issues recognizes the specific needs of women and their human rights. JNCW and UN Women are providing coordination and technical assistance to the Government in the JONAP implementation, with the generous support of the Governments of Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
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