Amman, Mar. 15 (Petra)–Icon for Sustainable Development (Icon SD), a nonprofit organization carrying out community-based programs and services, organized a dialogue session, under the theme :”Youth and Civic Participation” to discuss youth challenges and opportunities aimed to enhance their participation in public life.

During the inaugural ceremony, Minister of Youth, Mohammad Nabulsi, said enhancing youth civil participation is a national priority, which the ministry seeks to achieve by implementing programs and projects.

According to a ministry statement on Wednesday, Nabulsi noted the ministry seeks to promote the volunteerism culture, given that volunteering activities are dimensions of national development, which contribute to advancing and achieving sustainable development goals, referring to the initiatives launched by youth provided during the Covid-19 pandemic that supported national efforts to face this crisis.

Jordan’s Higher Committee for Volunteering Work came out with a set of recommendations aimed at “institutionalizing” volunteering activities , he said, noting that the Kingdom was the first Arab country to draw up a Volunteering Work Charter to regulate related activities and preserve volunteers’ rights and duties.

The national youth engagement programme (Nahnu), one of the initiatives of the Crown Prince Foundation (CPF), in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and UNICEF, which brings under its umbrella some 125,000 volunteers, has provided about 3 million volunteering hours, Nabulsi pointed out.

The ministry, he noted, begun implementing a plan to activate youth centers, raise capabilities of youth co-workers, and create a “safe and supportive” infrastructure, stressing the importance of concerted efforts to work jointly to serve youth, enhance their opportunities for civil participation and overcome challenges.

For his part, Icon SD General Manager, Rakan Fakhoury, said his organization’s vision, goals and values aim to “institutionalize” youth civil action, orchestrate related efforts to create an entrepreneurial society, and provide youth opportunities to learn and innovate by helping them acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.
//Petra// AG
15/03/2023 15:34:45