SSC, Palestinian labour minister talk social protection cooperation
Acting Director General of the Social Security Corporation Jadallah Khalayleh stressed the corporation's readiness to provide its expertise and capabilities to help Palestine develop retirement and social security mechanisms (Petra photo)
AMMAN — Acting Director General of the Social Security Corporation (SSC) Jadallah Khalayleh stressed the corporation's "full readiness" to provide its expertise and capabilities to help Palestine develop retirement and social security mechanisms and improve their benefits and procedures.
Khalayleh's remarks came during a meeting with an official Palestinian delegation, headed by Palestinian Minister of Labour Inas Attari, to review the SSC's experience in the fields of social protection, insurance, and programmes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Khalayleh said the SSC has contacted the Palestine Pension Fund Authority (PPFA) over the past years to highlight its experiences in this field, stressing the corporation's "continued" efforts to boost and sustain its partnership with the Palestinian side and offer insurance and technical expertise.
Khalayleh added that the SSC has 'kept pace' with developments regionally and globally and has made "remarkable" strides in social insurance and e-services areas to insured persons and retirees.
Attari said that the 'brotherly and historic" bilateral relations are paving the way for "more effective" cooperation in the social protection field.
Expressing gratitude for the SSC's support and training provided under the previous partnership agreement with PPFA, she expressed hope to maintain implementation of the two bodies' memorandum of understanding to benefit from their "rich" expertise in the social insurance area.
After reviewing the SSC's "rich" experience, she said the main focus is setting the appropriate date for launching a Palestinian social security body, as well as the stages and factors that would facilitate its promotion drive and mechanisms for planning, implementation, and follow-up.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
a day ago
- Roya News
New season of 'The Voice' begins filming in Jordan
The Royal Film Commission – Jordan announced that MBC Group, the largest media network in the Middle East and North Africa, has begun filming the new seasons of the hit singing competitions The Voice and The Voice Kids at Olivewood Studios in Jordan. The production will run for four consecutive months. According to the Commission, Jordan was chosen after years of effort to position the Kingdom as a hub for high-quality television and film production, strengthening its role as a cultural and creative center in the Arab world. The large-scale project will spotlight local talent while boosting Jordan's creative industries, which hold significant economic potential for generating direct and indirect job opportunities. The production is expected to create hundreds of jobs for Jordanian professionals, including photographers, sound engineers, lighting technicians, and costume designers. It will also involve contracts with 16 Jordanian companies providing logistics and technical services. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Imad Hijazin, highlighted the significance of hosting such a major Arab production, saying it reflects both regional and international confidence in Jordan's ability to deliver top-tier production services. He added that the show will showcase Jordan's rich and diverse tourism and cultural assets to millions of viewers, boosting global awareness of Jordan's destinations and stimulating tourism. Royal Film Commission General Manager, Mohannad Al-Bakri, said the project demonstrates the success of the Commission's efforts to develop Jordan's film and television infrastructure, underlining the added value of Olivewood Studios. Director-General of the Jordan Tourism Board, Dr. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, described the show as an unprecedented promotional opportunity to position Jordan as both a tourism and creative hub. He noted that the footage filmed across the country will highlight Jordan's varied tourism offerings - nature, heritage, and culture - reaching tens of millions of viewers across the Arab world. Arabiyat emphasized that the initiative aligns with the Board's strategy of leveraging major productions to promote Jordan's positive image and attract more visitors, while strengthening cooperation between the tourism, cultural, and creative sectors for sustainable economic returns. Olivewood Studios Chairman, Raja Gargour, stressed the role of the creative industries within Jordan's Economic Modernization Vision as a driver of youth employment, noting that hosting a production of this scale is the result of close collaboration among national institutions. The project will also boost the transport and hospitality sectors, with Royal Jordanian handling air travel and local hotels accommodating over 11,000 room nights during filming. Scenes will be shot at 10 diverse outdoor locations across the Kingdom, giving millions of MBC viewers a chance to experience Jordan's beauty. Previous seasons of The Voice in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia attracted more than 100 million viewers.
Jordan Times
2 days ago
- Jordan Times
Kingdom's revenues rise by JD164.7m as public debt drops below 91% of GDP
AMMAN — The Kingdom's domestic revenues increased by approximately JD164.7 million in the first half of 2025, reaching JD4.669 billion compared with JD4.504 billion during the same period last year. Public debt totalled around JD35.3 billion by the end of June 2025, equivalent to 90.9 per cent of GDP, down from 92.7 per cent in May, according to the Jordan news agency, Petra. This reduction followed the Ministry of Finance's repayment of USD1 billion in maturing Eurobonds in June, funded through concessional loans secured in March and April at a competitive interest rate of 4.8 per cent, Petra said. The ministry highlighted that this strategy avoided issuing new Eurobonds, which under current exceptional global and regional conditions could have carried interest rates of up to 9 per cent.
Jordan Times
2 days ago
- Jordan Times
Jordan records $4.4B in tourism revenue, attracts 4m tourists in first 7 months of 2025
AMMAN — Jordan's tourism sector generated $4.4 billion in revenue during the first seven months of 2025, marking an 8.6 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2024, according to preliminary figures from the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ). The growth came despite a 5.6 per cent decline in July's income, which stood at $721.4 million, according to a CBJ statement. Revenues from Asian markets recorded the highest growth at 41.1 per cent, followed by European visitors at 33.8 per cent, Americans at 21.7 per cent, and Arab tourists at 7.3 per cent. Earnings from other nationalities increased by 38 per cent, while returns from Jordanian expatriates fell by 2.5 per cent. Outbound tourism spending also rose, with Jordanians spending $1.25 billion on travel abroad between January and July, up 4 per cent from last year. Spending in July alone increased by 7 per cent to $247.4 million. The number of tourists visiting Jordan in the first seven months of 2025 surged by 15.6 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The figures, cited by Al Mamlaka TV, said that nearly 4 million visitors arrived in Jordan during this period, up from 3.4 million in the first seven months of 2024. Arab nationals accounted for the largest share, with close to 2 million visitors, followed by Europeans at 500,000 and Asian tourists at 150,000. Industry stakeholders said the results highlight both the sector's resilience and its challenges. 'We are seeing a notable increase in visitors from Asia and Europe, drawn to destinations like Petra and Wadi Rum,' said Hani Kareem, an employee at an Amman-based tourism agency. 'Improved flight connectivity and targeted marketing have helped, but the July dip is a reminder of tourism's seasonal fluctuations.' In the hospitality sector, the gains have led to higher occupancy rates but also operational pressures. 'This summer has been relatively strong, particularly in Aqaba and the Dead Sea,' said Rabei Bashar, operations manager at a luxury hotel and resort. 'However, with more Jordanians travelling abroad, we need to step up efforts to make domestic tourism appealing.' Economists note that while increased inbound tourism supports foreign currency reserves and job creation, the parallel growth in outbound spending reduces the net economic impact. Despite the mixed indicators, sector representatives said the performance so far in 2025 reflects Jordan's ability to remain competitive and adapt to changing market trends.
