The embassy of the Netherlands hosted a networking event on Monday to celebrate International Women’s Day and its Shiraka Alumni Network, the country’s flagship knowledge exchange program for the MENA region.
The event was attended by HRH Princess Dana Firas and over 70 alums and leading women from various sectors of the embassy’s network.
In welcoming remarks, Dutch Ambassador Harry Verweij shed light on the importance of International Women’s Day to take stock of the progress made in the fight against gender inequality.
“In Jordan, we recognize the recent efforts adopted on political and economic modernization and the special attention that was paid to gender inclusion,” said Verweij, adding that “we stand ready to support these plans and will continue to work with our partners on bridging the gaps in inequality.”
In addition, Verweij announced that the Netherlands has recently adopted a Feminist Foreign Policy, which further reaffirms the country’s commitment to contribute to a better, more just world in which women and men have equal rights and opportunities.
“In Jordan, we will reinforce our interaction and exchange with all those who promote this cause,” he said.
The envoy welcomed alums of the Dutch-funded Shiraka program.
Since the program’s establishment in 2012, over 500 Jordanian civil servants and government employees have been trained in the Netherlands on various topics.
In a statement, the embassy said the Netherlands is offering another 10 courses for Jordanian civil servants in 2023 alone, in addition to two tailor-made government-to-government programs that will take place this year.
The first will train young Jordanian diplomats in the Netherlands for three weeks, and the second will focus on Jordanian female judges, added the statement.
The event was an opportunity for the embassy to meet with its network and for the alums to reconnect with each other and meet their peers from other cohorts, it noted.
Source: Jordan News Agency