Jordan joins the world in observing International Youth Day, which falls on the 12th of August of each year. This year, UN elected to celebrate the 2023 International Youth Day under the theme ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World’. This International event is in accord with Jordan’s support and sponsorship of ambitious youth and their fundamental role in establishing a sustainable, environment friendly future. ‘Youth’, as defined by The United Nations, are those individuals between the ages of 15 and 24. According to data published by the Jordanian Department of General Statistics on the population by age, the number of young men and women out of the population is approximately 2.25 million, or about one-fifth of the population of Jordan.
At the international level, initiatives and programs in ‘Green Skills’ undertaken for the empowerment of youth are effective contributions by which to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that ensure a balance between the economic, social and environmental dimensions. From this standpoint, it is crucial to foster cooperation between governments, institutions and civil society to ensure facilitating the appropriate environment for the development and empowerment of youth. To mark this day, the Higher Population Council highlights the importance of improving the knowledge in Green Skills amongst the youth with the aim of addressing the growing environmental and economic challenges. As deemed by HPC, improving environmental awareness and developing Green Skills are vital factors in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, Jordan’s Vision 2025, the Economic Modernization Vision 2033, and preserving Jordan's natural resources for future generations in addition to protecting them from environmentally unfriendly patterns of production and consumption. Special attention here needs to be paid to preserving cultivated and agricultural lands, wooded spaces, groundwater, and natural reserves.
The role of youth in achieving sustainable development is expanding through their contribution in applying environmentally friendly programs and projects, engaging in work and earning proceeds to eradicate poverty, and enrolling in technical education, vocational training and crafts to reduce unemployment in addition to maintaining healthy, hale and hearty life styles. Through this press release, the Higher Population Council emphasises the importance of the demographic opportunity, which represents an economic and social shift resulting from the growth in the proportion of youth and the working-age population. This occurs when there is a demographic shift towards smaller families, which helps in increasing family savings and governmental savings and investment in education and vocational training leading to an increase in productivity, economic growth and affluence.
HPC noted that Jordan is witnessing ongoing efforts to empower young people and equip them with knowledge and Green Skills through investment in environmental education and vocational training. In addition, the government seeks to equip young people with the necessary knowledge and improve their opportunities in the labour market. This can be visibly seen through the meeting of national policies, strategies, visions and plans with the National Youth Strategy 2019- 2025, including: the National Employment Strategy, the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and the National Strategy for Human Resources Development 2016-2025.
Stemming from HPC’s strong conviction that youth play an important role in achieving sustainable development and preserving the environment, the Council is committed to providing support and supervision of efforts to empower young people with Green Skills and direct them towards an effective contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To this end, HPC formed the National Population Strategy 2021-2030, and the National Strategy for Reproductive and Sexual Health 2020-2030. The two strategies included a special area dedicated to youth. The Council also prepared a document on the national standards for youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services that are practiced in several health centre throughout Jordan.
