Social protection services rank high in government priorities — Bani Mustafa

AMMAN — Social protection services are at the forefront of the government’s top priorities due to their direct positive effects on citizens, Social Development Minister Wafa Bani Mustafa said on Tuesday. 

Attending the closing ceremony of the "Enhancing social protection in Jordan" project, Bani Mustafa said that His Majesty King Abdullah has highlighted the importance of social protection as the main component of the political, economic and administrative modernisation tracks to ensure the protection of people most affected by economic circumstances.

The minister also referred to the achievements of the EU-funded project in realising social integration, as it had a positive impact on the beneficiaries of the ministry’s services by reducing time and effort through the utilisation of modern technology to streamline procedures, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou said that the work done under this project has laid “a strong foundation” for enhancing Jordan's social protection sector for years to come.

Hadjitheodosiou added that the project is one of the EU's most important programmes, and has focused on persons with disabilities, women, youth, children and those in need of special services.

It also attached importance to boosting the capacity of social workers, civil society organisations and ministry staff to improve the overall quality and performance of the sector.

The project, funded with 23.6 million euros during 2019 and 2023, was jointly implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Northern Ireland Cooperation Overseas (NI-CO), and Expertise France, in close partnership with the Ministry of Social Development.