UNDP chief visits Petra, checks on developmental projects

Administrator of UNDP and Chair of the UN Development Group Helen Clark said the rise in unemployment in Jordan is an outcome of the various crises facing its neighboring countries, chief among them being Syria .During a visit to the Petra Development and Tourism Authority (PDTRA), where she met with a group of young people taking part in a career-skills development program to integrate them into the labour market, Clark said the UN is making efforts to effectively partner Jordan in an ambitious program launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II.The program aims to reform governance and increase the support of UN agencies to Jordanian communities hosting Syrian refugees“The issue of unemployment among the youth is a global issue, but the region’s issues, mainly the Syrian crisis, created new challenges for Jordan, namely in the tourism and employment fields,” she added.The UNDP chief listened to the views of the youth on the lack of job opportunities. These youth called on the UN office in Jordan to conduct more training courses to develop their skills and offer financial grants to enable them to set up small projects.A UNDP source in Jordan said dozens of youth who had graduated from UNDP courses had succeeded in acquiring jobs that matched their qualifications.However, the source added, a group of youth from the southern governorate of Maan was not able to find jobs due to the absence of private sector activity in the governorate.Clark also met with Commissioner General of PDTRA Mohammad Abu Ghanam and was briefed on the “Enhancing Institutional Capacities to reduce Disaster Risk and to integrate Climate Change” project, which is being financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).The project aims to improve governance and strengthen the coping mechanisms of Jordanian institutions to achieve disaster risk reduction (DRR) in natural hazards, and enable climate change adaptation (CCA) through prevention, mitigation, and preparedness for flash flooding.