Khaberni - On the occasion of International Women's Day, ActionAid Jordan and Al Hayat Center – RASED organized on Sunday, March 8, 2026, a national forum titled "Support and Empowerment of Women in the Economy: The Road to Sustainable Growth". This event brought together representatives from civil society institutions, the private sector, and concerned parties to showcase the advancements achieved in the project “Women-Friendly Seal”, jointly funded by the European Union, implemented by ActionAid and RASED in partnership with several companies and local institutions.
The project aims to support institutions in adopting policies and practices that enhance safe and equitable work environments for women, contributing to the enhancement of women's economic participation and equal opportunities in the labor market.
During the meeting, key achieved results of the project were discussed, with participating institutions and companies beginning to adopt more gender-sensitive internal policies and procedures, including enhanced safety measures at work, development of equal opportunity policies, and establishing more supportive work environments for the engagement and professional advancement of women.
During the opening ceremony, Ms. Mary Horvers, Head of Governance and Human Development Team at the European Union Delegation to Jordan, stated that empowering women should not be an issue only raised on special occasions but a continuous pathway that requires joint efforts to remove obstacles still limiting women's participation in the economy and public life. She highlighted that despite the high educational levels of Jordanian women, their labor market participation remains limited, calling for collective efforts to break structural barriers impeding their advancement. Ms. Horvers confirmed that the European Union's support for the “Women-Friendly Seal” project falls within its steadfast commitment to gender equality and enhancing the economic and political participation of women, in partnership with civil society institutions and the private sector.
Ms. Sana Al-Hiyari, Program Director at ActionAid, said that the “Women-Friendly Seal” is a practical step towards enhancing safer, fairer, and more inclusive work environments for women in Jordan. She noted that economically empowering women is not just about providing job opportunities but also requires institutional policies and practices that protect women's rights and support their effective participation in the labor market. Ms. Al-Hiyari added that the partnership with RASED and supporting parties is instrumental in turning these principles into tangible reality within institutions, enhancing women's role as essential partners in economic and social development.
Dr. Amer Bani Amer, General Director of Al Hayat Center – RASED, said that the “Women-Friendly Seal” represents a practical model of how to transform justice concepts in work environments into applicable and measurable institutional policies. He added that the center believes that enhancing women's economic participation is not only achieved through legislation or public discourse but through real change within the institutions themselves by adopting clear standards that ensure an empowering workplace environment for women's empowerment and professional advancement. Dr. Bani Amer emphasized that partnerships between civil society, the private sector, and supporting international entities are fundamental pillars for making this transformation and building a more inclusive and sustainable work model in the Jordanian labor market.
The “Women-Friendly Seal” project serves as a practical model for enhancing gender equality within institutions, by developing clear standards that help institutions evaluate their internal policies and improve practices ensuring a safer and fairer work environment for women.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the partners reaffirmed their commitment to continue working towards expanding the scope of the “Women-Friendly Seal” to include more institutions in Jordan, stressing that empowering women is a journey that requires a true partnership between civil society, the private sector, and policymakers to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable labor market.
