Bani Mustafa inaugurates conference to support Arab social policies to reduce multidimensional poverty

Bani Mustafa said that poverty is no longer seen as being linked to income alone, but has become a multidimensional phenomenon that includes education, health, nutrition, housing, basic services, decent work, and social protection, which has contributed to the development of more comprehensive tools to measure it, foremost of which is the Multidimensional Poverty Index, to guide policies and resources to the most priority needs.

She stressed that Jordan, through the royal visions, translates this approach by placing the human being at the heart of the development process, enhancing the social protection system, empowering citizens, providing opportunities, and building a society more capable of facing challenges and achieving sustainable development, noting that Arab countries have also worked to achieve this approach through the Arab Strategic Framework for the Eradication of Multidimensional Poverty 2020-2030, and national strategies for social protection and development.

In this context, she added that Jordan is working to strengthen the social protection system through the use of data and technology, digital transformation, improving the targeting of interventions, and reaching the most needy families and individuals, noting the importance of the Jordanian Social Registry as a basis for the integration of social and economic data, alongside the early social warning system in monitoring risks and intervening proactively.

In the context of joint Arab action, Bani Mustafa pointed to the importance of the Arab Center for Social Development Policies, as a specialized platform for producing knowledge, developing policies, and exchanging experiences and best practices among Arab countries.

Bani Mustafa expressed her aspiration that the conference would be an advanced station in the journey of joint Arab social work, and that it would lead to practical visions and recommendations that contribute to the development of social policies, enhance Arab cooperation, and build a more just and sustainable future, expressing at the end of her speech her appreciation for the technical secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and all participants from Arab countries for their efforts in preparing for the conference and supporting the journey of joint Arab social work.

For his part, Commissioner Tariq Al-Nabsi, Chairman of the delegation of the League of Arab States, Director of the Department of Development and Social Policies, and Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs, praised the important role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its rich experience in various fields of social development, explaining that in light of this, the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs decided to welcome the hosting of Jordan for this important conference, and also pointed to the active participation of the heads of delegations of Arab countries and specialized agencies of the United Nations, which confirms the partnership with the United Nations agencies, and enhances Jordan's efforts within the framework of hosting the Arab Center for Social and Development Policies, as the technical arm for implementing the decisions of the Arab Summit and the Ministerial Council.

Al-Nabsi also confirmed that the conference would be an important opportunity to develop practical and implementable visions to move forward in the journey of social development, despite all the difficulties and challenges facing the region, expressing his aspiration to achieve Arab priorities for the post-2020-2030 plan, taking into account the specificity of the region, and focusing on the most needy groups, especially people with disabilities, the elderly, and children, stressing that the recommendations of the conference would be submitted to the next session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs.

For his part, the Chairman of the delegation of the Economic Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Khaled Abu Ismail, pointed out that poverty in all its forms and dimensions is one of the biggest global challenges, expressing his hope that this important conference would provide participants from member states with regional and international experiences on how to formulate practical solutions to reduce poverty.

Abu Ismail said that the challenge facing policymakers is not only to identify the main characteristics and causes of multidimensional poverty, but also to work on designing policies to reduce it based on this knowledge, where the implementation of these policies requires strong and effective institutions, especially in less developed countries.

He concluded his speech by thanking Minister Bani Mustafa for sponsoring this conference, and for Jordan's continued efforts to strengthen work in the field of social development, looking forward to the launch of the works of the Arab Center for Social Policy Studies in Arab countries, as one of the important Arab mechanisms, which ESCWA looks forward to working with to achieve the desired goals.