AMMAN (October 11) - USAID Takamol, a five year USAID Funded program implemented by IREX, will host a two day conference next week to raise awareness of key policies and interventions aimed at increasing Women’s Economic Participation in Jordan.

The Women Economic Participation Conference (WEP16), will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 11^th and 12^th , 2016 at the King Hussein Business Park – Main Auditorium.  Addressing the participants in the opening session on Tuesday at 9:30am will be Her Excellency U.S. Ambassador  Alice G. Wells and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Jawad Anani.

As part of its two day agenda, the conference will engage key stakeholders in discussions  around four themes, highlighting the critical need for national mobilization  efforts – at the policy and private sector levels.

USAID Takamol, in collaboration with  USAID Local Enterprise Support Project (LENS) and Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism (BEST), has identified four significant contributors to Jordan’s low economic participation rates among women outside the public sector. These include limited political will behind increasing women’s participation, hindered access to finances, improper environment around home based businesses and startups and a mismatch between market needs and educational outputs.

“When women become intrinsically linked with economic policies and civic participation, nations become more open and responsive to the needs of their societies. Worldwide, women are instruments for success, but without equal access to opportunities, our collective sound falls flat.” – Her Excellency, U.S. Ambassador Alice G. Wells  

The conference will feature notable expert speakers such as USAID Mission Director Jim Barnhart,  H.E. Eng. Musa Maaytah Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, H.E Ali Ghazzawi, Minister of Labor, Dr. Omar Razzaz, Jordan Strategies Fund Chairman, H.E.  Nadia Al Saeed, General Manager, Bank Al Etihad, Dr. Salma Nims, Secretary General of the Jordan National Commission for Women, in addition to national, regional and international guest speakers, entrepreneurs, activists, gender and economic experts.   

USAID Takamol is a five-year USAID-funded program implemented by IREX that focuses on mainstreaming gender at the national and community levels through policy advocacy and social dialogue. 

IREX is a nonprofit organization that aims to build a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information.