His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday stressed the importance of social protection as an essential part of economic and administrative modernisation, as it is a national priority to guarantee better protection for the most economically vulnerable segments of society.

During a meeting with officials and representatives concerned with social development on Wednesday at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah directed the government to coordinate with the concerned public and civic entities to ensure that modernisation programmes are aligned with social protection requirements, and develop plans and projects that address the challenges that citizens face.

At the meeting, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, His Majesty underscored the importance of prioritising social protection, noting that it will require synergising collective efforts and teamwork, adding that public and private sector entities, as well as subject matter experts, must be engaged in this effort.

The King said the objective of social protection is safeguarding Jordanians’ dignity, stressing the need for inclusive and expansive protection tools and programmes to help impoverished segments of society become financially active and productive.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said social protection programmes will be included in the economic and administrative modernisation tracks, noting that Jordan's social financial relief programmes have received international recognition for being efficient in providing relief to the targeted beneficiaries.

Khasawneh added that the government is conducting a biannual review of the National Social Protection Strategy for 2019-2025, noting that the support provided for social protection in the state budget amounts to JD784 million.

For her part, Social Development Minister Wafaa Bani Mustafa reviewed the follow-up mechanism conducted by the ministry to monitor the national strategy, which includes the Karamah, Tamkeen, and Fursa tracks.

The three tracks provide social support, targeted relief for emergencies, winter campaigns, physical rehabilitation support, a COVID-19 response programme, and economic empowerment.

A number of ministers and officials attended the meeting.