Princess Basma meets international scout movement leaders

AMMAN — HRH Princess Basma, president of the Jordanian Association for Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (JABSGG), met a delegation from the International Scout Committee (ISC) and the Regional Office of the Arab Scout Organisation, who were visiting Jordan.

They discussed the cooperation between the JABSGG and the International Scout Organisation (ISO), and ways to secure financial and technical support for the association to enhance its actions in the next stage of supporting the Jordanian scout movement, according to the statement.

During the meeting, Princess Basma said the Jordanian scout movement is one of the oldest in the region, dating back to the 1950s. She highlighted that the number of its members is around 85,000 in the ministries of education and youth, and also in the civil sector.

The princess also stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the JABSGG and the ISO, and exchanging experience and programmes between them to achieve the scout movement’s goals and the best ways to invest in the youth’s potential. She called for motivating young people towards volunteerism, improving their talents and experiences and developing their life skills.

She voiced appreciation for the visit, which, she said, would open new horizons for cooperation to serve the Jordanian scout movement and its future.

For his part, Secretary General of the ISO Ahmad Hindawi stressed the importance of delegation’s visit, which is the first to Jordan since he joined to the international scout movement in 1955. He added that it would conclude with an action plan to provide technical and financial support to JABSGG’s programmes, and develop it in the next stage.

Hindawi mentioned the importance of ISO’s role, which represents the international youth movement through more than 53 million members in more than 170 countries around the world.

Craig Turby, ISO chairman, stressed the organisation’s keenness to expand the scouting and guidance movement at the global level, pointing out the voluntary and humanitarian goals of the scout movement.