AMMAN, August 1 (Petra) — United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA), Dr. Randa Al-Mashat, praised Jordan as a strategic
partner and a pioneering developmental model operating within a
volatile and crisis-affected region.

In an in-depth interview with the Jordan News Agency (Petra) during
her official visit to the Kingdom, Al-Mashat stated that despite
severe regional economic and geopolitical headwinds, Jordan has
successfully preserved institutional stability and advanced
systematic reform and modernization. She noted that the international
community views these achievements as a testament to the nation’s
resilience and sound governance.

Al-Mashat emphasized that her visit extends beyond diplomatic
protocol, serving as a clear signal of ESCWA’s prioritization of
Jordan as a leading testbed for evidence-based public policy. She
highlighted that the visit aims to align international technical
cooperation directly with the Jordanian government’s upcoming
priorities under the second executive program of the Economic
Modernization Vision (2026–2029).

Describing the Jordanian experience as a unique positive paradox,
Al-Mashat commended the country for maintaining macroeconomic and
institutional stability amid surrounding geopolitical turmoil. This
stability, she noted, has provided a solid foundation for structural
reforms, targeted foreign investment, and sustained confidence from
international financial institutions. She specifically lauded the
Economic Modernization Vision as a comprehensive, actionable roadmap,
noting that its ultimate success relies on boosting national
productivity, enhancing economic competitiveness, and expanding
high-value-added investments.

Detailing ESCWA’s collaborative portfolio with Jordan over the past
five years, Al-Mashat pointed to significant institutional milestones
across multiple sectors, including advanced technical support to
modernize the national statistical framework, improve the utilization
of administrative registers, and strengthen monitoring mechanisms for
the Sustainable Development Goals.

Furthermore, ESCWA has contributed to national forecasting and
economic scenario models, revised national accounts, and established
the Social Expenditure Observatory within the Ministry of Finance to
link public spending with tangible developmental impacts.

In the social sphere, the organization partnered with the National
Aid Fund to refine beneficiary targeting methodologies, conducted
labor market skills gap analyses, and supported programs addressing
gender equality, disability inclusion, and economic empowerment for
vulnerable groups.

Looking ahead, Al-Mashat outlined three core pillars governing
ESCWA’s strategic cooperation framework with Jordan. These include
fostering a knowledge-driven economy through digital economic growth
and entrepreneurship, accelerating digital transformation and
artificial intelligence integration into public administration to
raise institutional efficiency, and reorienting social protection
safety nets into active instruments of productivity and empowerment
rather than passive relief mechanisms.

Addressing regional dynamics, Al-Mashat asserted that Jordan
possesses exceptional geographic and institutional assets to drive
broader Arab economic integration and logistical connectivity. She
stressed that modern integration extends beyond traditional trade to
encompass data harmonization, digital platform interoperability,
regulatory alignment, and joint food and energy security frameworks.

On the challenge of youth unemployment, Al-Mashat rejected
single-factor attributions, characterizing it instead as a
multifaceted structural challenge requiring coordinated interventions
in education, labor market alignment, and sectoral economic
diversification.

She pointed to a recently signed train-the-trainer agreement between
ESCWA and Jordanian agricultural stakeholders as a practical
application of this approach, designed to equip national cadres with
modern agrarian technologies and foster sustainable rural
livelihoods.

Al-Mashat concluded by reiterating that robust employment strategies
must be anchored in accurate, real-time data, affirming ESCWA’s
continued commitment to supporting Jordan’s evidence-based
policymaking architecture.

//Petra// AA