‘Achieving self-reliance government’s top priority’

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat on Tuesday said that the government is employing a new approach to address issues such as unemployment by instilling a sense of self-reliance.

Ghunaimat said that solving unemployment “requires years” and the collective efforts of institutions, adding that creating job opportunities for youth is a top priority in the government’s 2019-2020 action programme.

Meeting with managing editors of news websites on Tuesday, the minister added that the government’s plan in addressing unemployment is centred around diagnosing the problem and then solving it in cooperation with the private sector, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

“Unemployment is not going to be solved in the short term but will take years of endless work and effort... the government’s primary focus is to enhance the principle of self-reliance through creating a sound and safe investment environment capable of providing job opportunities,” Ghunaimat said.

She also said that the government is now drafting a “comprehensive strategy” to address poverty that includes support programmes for underprivileged families and an expanded healthcare system, according to Petra.

The minister also reiterated Jordan’s unaltered position on Jerusalem and Palestine, which is based on the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.