Amman-AlBaqaa
AMMAN- As one of the largest Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) initiative implemented by the EU under the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) , Dr. Nizar Haddad, the Director General of the National Agricultural Research Center NARC and Maria Hadjitheodosiou, European Head of Delegation/Ambassador to Jordan inaugurated the launching ceremony of HELIOS Project with the participation of six Mediterranean countries.
Haddad stressed the main goals that are planned to encourage training and employment for youth and women, to overcome the main challenges faced by the Mediterranean Basin countries, most importantly the reduction of high unemployment rates among youth and women in agriculture and environment sectors, due to skills’ mismatch with the real market’s demands.
Maria Hadjitheodosiou expressed her felicity on this cooperation with NARC, addressing the role played by the Center in embracing entrepreneurial projects that concern youth and women and seeking solutions to the challenges facing them.
She affirmed the EU’s support to these projects through training and qualification , adding that the project integrates within the framework of the first call for proposals of projects, for the regional multilateral program for the Mediterranean countries to overcome common challenges and strengthen partnership and networking between those countries.
the Regional Program Coordinator for the Middle East, Dr. Esmat Karadsheh, stated that the countries participating in the project are Greece, Tunisia, Palestine, Spain, Italy and Jordan, affirming that the problems of employment of youth and women will be addressed on the basis of two pillars through the ‘circular economy’ and the ‘blue economy’, which are considered factors to adapt to the climate change significantly facing the region and the unemployment challenge.