IEC, UN Women sign partnership agreement

Amman: The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and UN Women signed a partnership agreement aimed at enhancing women's participation in the elections and partisan work, the IEC said in a statement on Monday. The agreement was signed by the Chairman of the IEC's Board of Commissioners, Mousa Maaytah, and UN Women's Representative in Jordan, Nicolas Burniat, in the presence of members of the Board of Commissioners, European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas, and Italian Ambassador to Jordan, Luciano Pizzuti. The agreement addressed several themes and programs related to empowering women and integrating them into the various areas of the IEC's work, including training, media, and planning the electoral process, with the aim of unifying efforts and ensuring their effective participation in the parliamentary elections and the upcoming political stage. It also included focusing on the issue of electoral violence against women, following up and addressing it in order to ensure a discrimi nation-free environment that seeks to enhance women's opportunities in political life, providing opportunities to support women's participation in managing the electoral process, in particular providing scholarships that enhance the capabilities of working women, and opening up and strengthening the relationship with all local and regional partners. During the signing of the agreement, Maaytah spoke about the importance of the royal vision directed at creating an environment that guarantees the effective participation of women and youth, which was translated into the vision of political system modernization and its outputs, which resulted in a constitutional amendment and the adoption of the electoral and party laws. For his part, UN Representative Burniat expressed his appreciation for the strategic partnership with the IEC at this important stage that witnesses the effective implementation of political reforms, stressing "the commitment to provide the necessary technical support to support the IEC and its pivotal role at this stage, with the generous support of the European Union and the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation." For his part, EU Ambassador Chatzisavas emphasized "the EU's commitment to support all efforts aimed at ensuring the enhanced participation of women and youth in the electoral process as voters, candidates and elected members at the local and national levels." "This is part of the broader electoral support provided to Jordan as it seeks to turn its vision of political modernization into a reality on the ground," Chatzisavas said. Italian Ambassador Pizzuti said that "gender equality includes the full participation of women in various fields of political action, which also guarantees democratic institutions that are representative of all segments of society." "Recognizing the role of women in the electoral process and public life is a top priority, as it contributes to promoting equality between women and men, ensuring the implementation of civil and political rights for all, and thus maximizing national participation in this field," Pizzuti added. Source: Jordan News Agency