Why diverse range of multisectoral partnerships are important for International Women’s Day
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Jordan is going through an exciting period of modernization, and UN Women is deeply engaged in supporting a range of work streams leading to the realization of that vision. International Women’s Day 2023, was a culmination of a week-long endeavor where UN Women, the government, civil society, and private sector partners highlighted the breadth of the ongoing work to promote gender equality in Jordan.
On IWD, His Majesty King Abdullah II held meetings with women entrepreneurs, whilst reaffirming that women’s economic empowerment is essential for the success of the government’s Economic Modernization Vision. Under the impulsion of his Majesty the King, Jordan is embarking on an ambitious reform to modernize its political system, its economy and its public sector, and the UN Women Jordan Country Office has been working closely with the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Empowerment of Women (IMC) and with the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) to ensure that women’s participation in all sectors of society is an integral part of the reform plans.
On policy level, UN Women joined JNCW, the IMC chairperson and the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness Princess Basma bint Talal, to introduce to the public the newly developed Executive Plan for the Jordan National Strategy for Women, which essentially operationalizes the government’s modernization agenda, and has been technically supported by UN Women.
On financing, UN Women partnered with the Amman Stock Exchange, the International Finance Corporation and the United Nations Global Compact, to organize a special Ring the Bell event focused on promoting the role of women in the digital economy. Under the patronage of the Minister of Investment and in partnership with Amam Ventures, UN Women also brought together key actors of the financing ecosystem, including IFIs, DFIs, banks and investors to launch the establishment of a new Platform on Financing for Gender Equality, the first of its kind in Jordan.
In recognition of the achievements in promoting women in Peace and Security, UN Women also partnered with the Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) to honor the achievements of uniformed women who have broken the glass ceiling by becoming the first women in sectors formerly thought to be reserved to men such as jet fighter pilot, parachutist, or special forces squadron leaders. UN Women and JAF also launched a new Key Leaders Seminar series aimed at building a network of gender equality champions with the leadership of the army to support the implementation of JAFs gender mainstreaming strategy.
Understanding the importance of the media and the power of storytelling to engage the broader public in support of greater gender equality and participation of women, UN Women held the 11th edition of the Women's Film Week to celebrate International Women's Day, under the patronage of HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, in partnership with The Royal Film Commission Jordan and with the artistic direction of Ms. Ghada Saba, filmmaker and television presenter and support of 13 Embassies. The week-long film festival, a cherished event held annually, presented 15 feature-length movies, short films and documentaries, representing 18 countries and 10 languages, showcasing powerful stories on women’s leadership and challenges in innovation and technology, opportunities as well as risks of the digital revolution and the role of inclusive and transformative technology and digital education for a sustainable future.
