SURA AL-DOMOUR

Jordan- The first Arab Forum for Equality 2022 (AFE-2022) was held between May 30 and 31 in Amman, Jordan. The forum was organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in collaboration with the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies hosted by the NYU Center on International Cooperation. The theme of the first edition of the Forum was “Towards inclusive youth employment in the Arab region”. At the end of the forum, women decided to launch two initiatives to reduce gender inequalities and create job opportunities for youth, women and people with disabilities in various sectors.

At the forum, Participants discussed policies causing inequality in the region and focused on practical solutions to tackle inequality. At the end of the forum, two regional initiatives were launched to tackle inequality.

 “Inequality is growing”

During the forum, Mehrinaz El Awady, the Director of the Centre for Women at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), made a speech on the forms of equality, whether between women and men, or between rich and poor societal segments, the displaced and people with disabilities. Noting that according to the studies conducted by the ESCWA, inequality has been growing particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, she announced that the ESCWA has launched an initiative called the “Jusoor initiative” to create job opportunities for youth, women and people with disabilities in various sectors.” 

Dr. Iman Karim, President of Egypt's National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA), said that the issue of inequality for marginalized or vulnerable groups or groups that need support, such as women, children and youth, was discussed at the forum. She also said that the forum aimed to generate momentum for progress in the region by launching a multi-year and multi-stakeholder dialogue focused on practical solutions to tackle inequality.