Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) - Jordan

The Jordanian National Commission (JNCW) was created by a cabinet decision in 1992 as a semi-governmental institution in order to promote the advancement of women through the mainstreaming of gender-equality and empowerment of women.

Initially, it was established to do the following:

1. design a national strategy to guide the development of women in Jordan;
2. act as a link between grass-roots and the country's decision-makers;
3. create networks among the various parties involved in women's issues in the country; and
4. orchestrate their efforts, and collaborate with them to implement developmental schemes.

In 1996, in light of the Beijing conference, and by a cabinet decision, the JNCW mission was broadened to include the following additional tasks:

1. Identification of priorities, plans and programs in the public and private sectors, and monitoring their implementation.
2. Reviewing legislation regarding women and suggesting amendments.
3. Lobbying and advocacy.
4. Examining policies in governmental offices to determine their gender sensitivity.
5. Increasing women's participation in the economy, politics and decision making.
6. Formulating strategies to ensure effectiveness and continuity of the development process.

Princess Basma bint Talal is president of the JNCW (2003). Members include top ranking officials from the government and civil societies, and representatives of NGOs as well as academic, research, and professional institutions.

The JNCW has four permanent committees and also engages specialists in women's issues from the public and private sectors:

1. The Legal Committee consists of legal experts (both women and men). Since it was formed in 1993, it has reviewed the Labor Law, Retirement Law, Social Security Law, Landlords and Tenants Law, Personal Status Law, Nationality Law, Passport Law, Civil Status Law, Penal Law, Income Tax Law, Civil Service Regulations, and Health Insurance Regulations.
2. The Network of Focal Points in Government Institutions consists of policy makers (women and men) in direct contact with Ministries. This committee is in charge of monitoring the status of women in the public sector and determines the extent to which the Beijing Platform for Action and the National Strategy for Women are being implemented in the public sector.
3. The Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) Coordinating Committee consists of representatives of women's associations in Jordan and acts as the coordinator among them in order to avoid duplication, assesses their activities, and report to the JNCW new issues related to women.
4. The Professional Women's Committee consists of prominent Jordanian professional women in the fields of education, health, economics, and media. It is in charge of improving the status of working women, raising awareness about rights at work, and establishing a mentoring system for new starters in the various sectors.

According to the JNCW chronology, in addition to reviewing Jordanian legislations, participating in the preparations for the Beijing Conference, and drafting the National Strategy and National Programme of Action, the JNCW's achievements in the past decade include:

1. Designing projects to be taken up in the private and public sector to implement the National Strategy and Action plan (1996).
2. Mainstreaming gender issues into the 1999-2003 Economic and Social Development Plan (1998).
3. Updating the National Strategy for Women (1999).
4. Presenting the CEDAW report to the UN (2000).
5. Forming a committee to plan and coordinate all activities regarding women's participation in 2002 parliamentary elections (2001).
6. Evaluating the "Mainstreaming Gender in the Economic and Social Development Plan, 1999-2003", in collaborating with the Inter-Agency Task force by UNIFEM and UNFPA and the Ministry of Planning (2002).