Launch of the METI programme and first meeting of the Policy Working Group in Jordan

News | 21 June 2022
On 21 June, the Mainstreaming Employment into Trade and Investment (METI) programme launched the Policy Working Group in Jordan. The Policy Working Group comprises policy makers from relevant Government Ministries, specialized national agencies, representatives from the social partners, and civil society organizations. It will guide the programme at national level and provide a space for social dialogue and collaboration.

In his opening remarks, His Excellency Mr Nayef Zakariya Stetieh, Jordanian Minister of Labour, referred to Jordan’s recently launched Economic Modernization Vision which sets the ambitious target of creating 1 million jobs over the next 10 years. He welcomed the creation of the Policy Working Group as a platform to develop concrete recommendations to ensure the sustainability of these jobs and highlighted the relevance of targeted vocational training and capacity building programmes in this context.

We must ensure that trade and investment in Jordan leads to more and better jobs."

Mr Peter Rademaker, ILO
Mr Peter Rademaker, ILO Deputy Regional Director for the Arab States, underscored the strong relationship between the eight pillars of Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision and the objectives of the METI programme. He reminded participants that trade and investment did not always result in job-rich growth in the past: “We must therefore ensure that trade and investment in Jordan leads to more and better jobs, including for women and youth."

The METI programme is working on the nexus of trade, investment and employment in an innovative way."

Ms Ilektra Tsakalidou, European Commission
Ms Ilektra Tsakalidou, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, located the METI programme in the larger context of the European Commission’s new Agenda for the Mediterranean and noted that “spurring long-term sustainable socioeconomic recovery and job-creation in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood is the main cornerstone”. The METI programme will be able to support this endeavour by working on the nexus of trade, investment and employment in an innovative way.

ILO's portfolio in Jordan is one of the largest in the region."

Ms Frida Khan, ILO
Ms Frida Khan, Country Coordinator of the ILO in Jordan, gave an overview of ILO’s strong engagement in Jordan which includes employment, skills development, social protection, migration, addressing child labour and gender equality. She further highlighted ILO’s unique approach based on tripartism and a normative framework: “All of ILO’s work in Jordan is delivered around the idea of developing consensus positions against benchmarks that have been collectively agreed by governments, workers and employers and are expressed in ILO’s international Labour Standards in order to promote decent work".

Mr Martin Ostermeier, ILO; Ms Frida Khan, ILO; Mr Nayef Zakariya Stetieh; and Mr Peter Rademaker, ILO.
During the first meeting of the Policy Working Group, the METI team introduced the objectives of the programme and presented the main findings of its Thematic Report and its Country Report for Jordan. Together with the International Trade Centre, a study on “Export potential and employment creation in Jordan” was presented as an input for the subsequent discussion on priority sectors. Members of the working group were then invited to share the priorities related to employment, trade and investment of their respective entities. The Policy Working Group will convene again to develop consensus on a priority sector for the programmes’ forthcoming value chain analysis.

METI is a four-year regional programme funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Labour Organization. It aims to enable policy makers in the Southern Mediterranean region to incorporate an employment perspective into trade and investment policies. This will support the design and implementation of investment strategies that optimize the quantity and quality of employment creation in the region.

For more information: meti@ilo.org