Minister of Social Development of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Wafa Bani Mustafa stressed that the 42nd session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs addressed two files of high importance related to persons with disabilities and the report on multidimensional poverty, which is a crucial issue during this period. She pointed out that a meeting of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs will be held today on the sidelines of the meeting's agenda, for Jordan to end the task of the office's presidency, which spanned three years.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Jordanian Minister of Social Development explained that Jordan has taken major steps to integrate persons with disabilities into society, through the 2017 law, which transferred their rights from a protective approach to a human rights approach, adding that this step was followed by important constitutional amendments approved at the beginning of 2022. She highlighted the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life, noting that Jordanian laws have translated this into reality in order to support them as much as possible.
Jordan is moving towards a clear plan to implement the national strategy for alternatives to shelters, given that the original place of residence for persons with disabilities is among the members of society, she said, adding that the ministry seeks to integrate this group into society, and that two of the most prominent steps made by Jordan are represented in the Al-Karak and Al-Amal centres, which were designated for persons with disabilities.
In regard to the file on multidimensional poverty, Jordanian Minister of Social Development said that the Jordanian Council of Ministers approved the ratification of the statute of the centre for multidimensional poverty studies that Jordan is hosting based on the decision of the Arab Summit issued in 2018, expressing her hope that the centre would be an important station and beacon to provide all Arab countries with all studies, research, figures, statistics and plans that could be applied in combating forms of poverty.
On the repercussions of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Jordanian Minister of Social Development stressed the need for a plan for Arab countries to face crises after Covid-19, pointing out that the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development added a special axis for crises and disasters in the national strategy for social protection, because the exit to the recovery stage must be accompanied by preventive plans and an early response to such crises.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jordan has provided social protection programs that absorbed a large number of families affected by the repercussions of the crisis, in addition to families whose productive projects were affected, she added.
At the end of her interview with QNA, Jordanian Minister of Social Development praised the efforts made by Qatar to organise the 42nd session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs in a perfectly organised and coordinated manner, saying that she was not surprised to see Qatar's distinguished organisation after the remarkable success that the country has achieved in organising the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - presenting the Arab and Islamic world in the best possible way to the whole world.
