Jordan
From the Field
In Batticaloa, Sri Lanka we held a friendly cricket tournament between youth from the East and South to mark International Peace Day.
In Jaffna, Sri Lanka we opened a collection center and distributed “freezer trucks” to farmers as part of USAID’s public-private alliances program. This hand over of equipment, tools and grants will improve productivity and profitability of fruit and vegetable cultivation in the conflict-affected Northern Province. These partnerships will not only provide employment to young men and women in the conflict-affected districts but also offer training and social integration among members of diverse ethnic groups.
In Vavuniya, Sri Lanka under our Office of Transition Initiatives program, we will hand over a large truck to recently resettled farmers in the North in a bid to enhance their marketing potential and to foster relations between the North and the South. Farmers will also receive water pumps and sprinklers on a credit basis.
In Iraq, as part of an ongoing effort to improve local governance and build local capacity, we held a competition for the best District Council website. The websites will evaluated based on their content quality and quantity, layout/ organization, update frequency, and objectivity/reliability.
In Jordan, as part of our water resources management program, we began work at a new wastewater treatment plant. Jordan is one of the ten most water-deprived countries in the world. The treatment plant will help improve the health and environmental conditions of the surrounding areas.
In the Ukraine, we will hold a 10th Anniversary celebration of Telekritika, a key media watchdog in Ukraine and a long-standing USAID partner. The celebration includes award ceremony to honor TV producers and TV journalists whose activities represent the highest ethical reporting standards to strengthening independent media in Ukraine.
Jordan Celebrates International Youth Day
Bashar Al-Farajat, (age 18) from Wadi Mousa registers for one of the USAID-funded projects with a youth component during the USAID-funded International Youth Day 2010. August 5th 2010 Petra – Jordan Photo: USAID/Jordan
More than 650 youth from across the Kingdom of Jordan gathered at a mountain top over looking Petra last week to celebrate International Youth Day. The day long celebration included Jordanian music and folk dances, contests, sketches, and workshops.
During his remarks to the participants, USAID|Jordan Mission Director Jay Knott quoted King Abdullah II saying that “youth of Jordan are the hope of the future.”
The event was hosted with the support of Chairman Mr. Ahmad Al-Masarwah of the Higher Council for Youth and eight of USAID’s partners.
In a joint press conference at closing ceremony, Al-Masarwah and Knott called for establishing a youth television and radio station, saying that it is essential in giving the youth a voice.
This is the third consecutive year that USAID|Jordan has hosted an International Youth Day event.
From the Field
submitted by Abby Sugrue
In Jordan, the Petra New Wonder of the World Celebration, the third anniversary of Petra being selected as a New 7th Wonder of the world. The USAID Tourism project will celebrate this with an evening of entertainment in the park itself. The project will use this occasion to provide background and build support for critical development plans at this beautiful and historic site. The event will be attended by the Prime Minister of Jordan and other senior ministers, and in addition to the celebration, they will learn about the challenges and opportunities at Petra.
In Ukraine, a Conference on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS). The United States Government has worked to develop Ukraine’s financial markets for nearly 15 years. Since 2007, USAID/Capital Markets Project has been working with the Ukrainian Securities Commission and market participants to develop the Electronic System of Comprehensive Information Disclosure (ESCRIN) for issuers of publicly listed companies. ESCRIN, has two major advantages: the information required by ESCRIN is much more comprehensive and allows the information to become public immediately on the regulator’s Web site, helping to move the country toward internationally accepted standards of disclosure. ESCRIN is now ready to be transferred and operational. The Securities Commission is about to receive final ministerial approval of a regulation that makes the system mandatory. 250 experts and professionals on investment projects, management, financial reporting, etc. from 30 countries worldwide will attend.
In Egypt, an event to present the best practices of the partnership between the USAID’s Technology for Improved Learning Outcomes (TILO) project and the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership (DCGEP). This partnership works on introducing 150 educational video segments to 60 Egyptian primary schools; teachers are trained on how to integrate the videos into their lesson planning. Attendees will include 90 school teachers who were trained under USAID’s program, as well as the Ministries of Education, Communication and Information Technology, and the Governor of Beni Suef.
