Khaberni - The Parliamentary Financial Committee discussed during a meeting held today, Thursday, chaired by MP Dr. Nimer Al-Sulihat, the budget of the Ministry of Culture and the National Library Department, in the presence of Minister of Culture Mustafa Al-Rawashdeh, Acting Secretary General of the Ministry Aroub Al-Shamayleh, Acting General Director of the National Library Ismail Al-Nuaimat, and Acting Director-General of the General Budget Ayman Abu Al-Rub.
Al-Sulihat emphasized at the beginning of the meeting the importance of supporting the Ministry of Culture and the National Library to enhance the efficiency of national cultural work and integrate efforts in the fields of archiving and document preservation.
He explained that the Financial Committee regards the roles of the ministry and the National Library as custodians of the national memory, and that supporting their budgets enhances the cultural renaissance system in the kingdom.
He said that culture is humane in behavior and expresses authentic heritage and knowledge, and with the accelerating interplay of cultures through the electronic network, there arises the need to protect the Jordanian cultural identity and preserve state memory.
Al-Sulihat inquired about the efforts made by the ministry regarding the cultural agenda in 2025 and the importance of generalizing it across various provinces, urging the Financial Committee to be put in the loop regarding expenses and its contribution to the ministry's work and achievements.
He noted that the budget of the Ministry of Culture for 2026 amounted to about KD 12.5 million, an increase of about KD 1.3 million, with consistent growth in both running and capital expenses, demanding that expenditure aspects be reflected in expanding programs and empowering cultural action, and developing institutional infrastructure.
Regarding the budget of the National Library, as it is the official keeper of documents and materials, Al-Sulihat and the attending deputies asked about the library's achievements in 2025, its events, the total preserved documents, its cataloguing, and its electronic services and how the library's budget of about KD 1.8 million with an increase of KD 208 thousand has impacted the library's operations and staff vacancies.
In turn, Al-Rawashdeh presented a detailed report including all the programs, activities, and projects undertaken by the ministry, affirming that cultural work has become a part of the national production system, supporting comprehensive and sustainable development, stating that culture is no longer limited to creative arts but has become a central element in the economic, social, and political life, and a pillar for enhancing the system of values, belonging, and identity.
He explained that the ministry operates within a vision that establishes culture as a lever for development and a driver of national production, and that field tours covered most provinces to support cultural bodies and improve cultural services in them.
Al-Rawashdeh mentioned that during the year 2025, the ministry implemented extensive programs and projects, including launching new libraries, activating the mobile library, executing thousands of cultural events, alongside developing the infrastructure through opening new cultural centers and maintaining main facilities such as the Royal Cultural Center.
He affirmed that national festivals, notably the Jerash Festival, witnessed broad local and Arab participation, while dozens of murals were executed, and digital initiatives were activated through new cultural platforms.
Regarding the national narrative, Al-Rawashdeh emphasized that the call launched by His Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, to prepare a comprehensive national narrative represents a national project aimed at crafting Jordan's narrative through history in a modern style that aligns with technological advancements and opens the field for the participation of young generations.
He pointed out that the ministry had made progress in this regard through documenting the national narrative in provincial centers, with the participation of a committee comprising about 50 researchers in history and humanities, working to formulate a comprehensive Jordanian narrative extending over more than two million years, enhancing the unity of the cultural discourse and national identity, and presenting a cohesive Jordanian narrative for future generations.
Al-Nuaimat reviewed the department's achievements for 2025 and its vision for 2026, explaining that the department continued to execute its tasks in preserving the national memory and developing its institutional services.
Al-Nuaimat explained that the National Library provided the legal deposit service and granted the International Standard Number for more than 6000 materials in 2025, in addition to protecting authors' rights from infringements, and referring violators to the judiciary based on the provisions of the Copyright Protection Law, where the number of cases referred amounted to more than 7500 cases from the year 2000 to date.
He detailed that the department also provided administrative and technical services for the information council under the law guaranteeing the right to access information, and to achieve the optimal implementation of the law and enhance the adherence of official institutions to archiving and categorizing their information, a system for cataloging and classifying documents and information was issued and published in the official gazette on 2-10-2025, contributing to the unification of procedures and strengthening the document management system.
Al-Nuaimat mentioned that the department continued to collect national-relevant government and private documents from ministries, official institutions and private entities, according
