His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said the challenges facing Jordan in the foreseen future, if they are to be aptly addressed, need “exceptional efforts” by the We are All Jordan Commission.
During a meeting with members of the commission, the King said he would be meeting regularly with the heads of the commission's six sub-committees.
He also gave his blessing to the mechanism of work devised by a taskforce comprising members of the commission, which was established in August to follow up on the recommendation of the We are All Jordan Forum.
The forum, which brought together 700 experts, incumbent and former officials and lawmakers, was held in July to set the country's priorities within the context of a national consensus over issues Jordan should address in order to meet domestic, regional and international challenges.
Following the forum meetings, the King directed the government to establish the We are All Jordan Commission, to follow up on recommendations set by the forum.
In the first meeting of the commission, King Abdullah issued directives to set up a sub-committee to prepare the commission's mechanism of work.
The commission is comprised of representatives of government and civil society institutions.
Responding to the King's directives, the government established the "We are All Jordan Youth Commission" in October.
At the meeting on Monday, the King urged close coordination between the two bodies.
Abdullah Wreikat, the commission's rapporteur, said the mechanism set by the sub-committee was forwarded to the rest of the commission members for comments, and amendments were made accordingly at a later meeting.
The official said the plan of action is based on respect for the Constitution and the laws in effect. Elaborating on the structure of the commission, Wreikat said it comprises six sub-committees as well as a follow-up committee and a communications panel, supported by a general secretariat.
The subcommittees are dealing with issues that were discussed and defined as national priorities in the July meeting of the forum.
The six panels are: the sub-committee on the Palestinian issue chaired by Senate President Zeid Rifai; the sub-committee on political reform chaired by former premier Taher Masri; the regional challenges sub-committee headed by former premier Deputy Abdur-Ra'uf S. Rawabdeh; the sub-committee on the solidification of the internal front led by Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali; the sub-committee on Economic Reforms headed by former minister Rima Khalaf; and the Social Safety Sub-Committee, chaired by former minister and government spokesperson Asma Khader.
Meanwhile, the Follow-Up Committee, which is charged with holding the forum meeting regularly, is chaired by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit.
The panel will oversee the implementation of the forum resolutions, according to a set priority scale, and report on progress made in the work of all the components of the We are All Jordan Commission.
The Communications Committee, headed by former minister Nasser Lawzi, is tasked with coordinating the work of the sub-committees with other state agencies.
The Jordan Times