A dialogue meeting within “Reef Space”… Political parties and youth discuss turning priorities into development policies and programs.

Ajloun – Intermediaries of Change Center for Sustainable Development , in partnership with Radio Sawt Ajloun Community , in cooperation with the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and with the participation of members of the “Reef Safe Political Youth Space,” organized a youth dialogue meeting entitled “Political Parties and Youth Priorities: From Dialogue to Development Policies and Programs,” with the participation of representatives from Azm Party, Mubadara Party, and the Jordanian Social Democratic Party.

The meeting is part of a series of dialogue sessions implemented by the “Reef Safe Political Youth Space” with political parties, stakeholders, decision-makers, and actors from various fields. The sessions aim to enhance youth political and civic participation and create safe and sustainable spaces for dialogue on priority issues, particularly in governorates and rural communities. They also seek to follow up on recommendations and outcomes related to the education and employment sectors and strengthen the role of youth as active partners in shaping public policies and programs.

The meeting discussed the role of political parties in enhancing the participation of young men and women in public life, political party life, and decision-making, as well as the extent to which the priorities of youth in governorates and rural communities are reflected in party programs and policies. The discussion also explored ways to translate youth priorities and recommendations into practical programs, initiatives, and policies.

The dialogue also addressed a number of issues related to the education and employment sectors, particularly aligning educational outcomes with labor market needs, enhancing employment opportunities, developing skills and training, supporting entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises, and strengthening the economic empowerment of young men and women. The discussion also highlighted the challenges young people face in transitioning from education to the labor market, particularly in governorates and rural communities.

Suleiman Al-Qudah, Head of the Ajloun Branch of the Azm Party, emphasized the significant and active role that political parties can play in governorates and local communities, given their ability to exert positive influence and contribute to addressing national and local issues within political and institutional frameworks. He highlighted the importance of qualifying and nominating competent and active party members and strengthening their presence in party committees and bodies, contributing to building political leadership capable of representing community issues and responding to its needs. He also stressed the need for political parties to be more closely connected to community concerns and to work on providing practical solutions to the challenges facing youth and women, particularly in Ajloun Governorate, in areas such as employment opportunities, job creation, and economic empowerment, while strengthening direct communication with local communities and listening to their priorities.

For her part, Majdolin Frihat, Head of the Ajloun Branch of the Jordanian Social Democratic Party, emphasized that political parties work to empower youth through party schools and training programs that enhance their understanding of the importance of party work and its role in public life, while building their leadership and political capacities. She noted that young people are a key component in advancing political party life, explaining that the training programs offered by the party focus on leadership, communication, dialogue management, campaign development, advocacy and support-building, teamwork, and the development of programs and policies. These efforts help young people move from participation to effective influence.

Dr. Ruba Zaghloul, a founding member of the Mubadara Party, highlighted the importance of the role political parties play in training and empowering youth and building their leadership and political capacities, providing them with genuine opportunities to participate, influence, and assume leadership roles within political parties. She explained that political parties are an effective platform for expressing the needs of local communities and working to incorporate them into public programs and policies, particularly issues concerning youth and women in governorates and rural communities. She stressed the need to involve youth and women in developing party programs and decision-making, while strengthening continuous dialogue between political parties and local communities.

Dr. Haitham Arifij Al-Rabadi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Jordanian Social Democratic Party, emphasized that addressing youth challenges and unemployment requires the adoption of integrated policies based on investing in people, promoting justice and equal opportunities, and aligning education and training with labor market needs. This would help develop young people’s skills and enhance their ability to compete and integrate into the labor market. He highlighted the importance of supporting entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as leveraging technological advancements and artificial intelligence to develop skills and create new opportunities in the digital and knowledge-based economy. He stressed the importance of ensuring that young people, particularly those in governorates and rural communities, have access to education, training, employment, and financing opportunities.

Nazih Bani Murtada, a member of the General Assembly of the Azm Party, highlighted the importance of strengthening integration between political parties, government and educational institutions, and the private sector, contributing to the development of effective partnerships that respond to national challenges and create broader opportunities for youth to participate and exert influence. He emphasized that youth represent the future of political and development life, requiring investment in their capacities through specialized training programs on political pluralism, party work, party organizational structures, mechanisms for political participation, and decision-making. He stressed the important role of political parties in expressing the aspirations and needs of society amid rapid political, economic, and social transformations.

Fatima Al-Qudah, a member of the Women’s Committee of the Jordanian Social Democratic Party, emphasized that political parties have an important role to play in achieving economic justice for youth and women, particularly in governorates and rural communities, by strengthening partnerships among the government, private sector, and civil society organizations, and developing policies and programs that respond to their actual needs. She highlighted the importance of reviewing and developing legislation and laws that support women’s empowerment and enhance their economic participation, while ensuring their access to employment, financing, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Such efforts would contribute to advancing social and economic justice and achieving more inclusive and balanced development.

For his part, Muhannad Al-Zawahreh, Secretary of the Mafraq Branch of the Mubadara Party, emphasized the important role political parties can play in addressing the challenges facing youth and women in local communities and promoting their economic and social rights, particularly by creating employment opportunities, improving living conditions, and strengthening the foundations for a dignified life. He noted that achieving these goals requires building effective partnerships among political parties, the government, the private sector, and civil society organizations, as well as developing programs and initiatives that respond to the actual needs of youth and women, particularly in the areas of training, employment, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment.

For their part, the youth leaders, members of the “Reef Safe Political Youth Space,” highlighted the importance of translating youth outputs and recommendations into actionable programs and policies. They stressed the need to strengthen the role of political parties in adopting youth priorities, particularly in the areas of education, employment, and job creation; aligning educational outcomes with labor market needs; providing training and capacity-building opportunities; supporting entrepreneurship and small enterprises; and advancing the economic empowerment of young men and women in governorates and rural communities.

The youth leaders stressed the importance of creating genuine spaces for young people to participate in political party life, political processes, and decision-making, while strengthening the presence of women and young women in leadership positions. They emphasized that dialogue with political parties provides an opportunity to discuss mechanisms for following up on the recommendations developed by youth through the “Reef Safe Political Youth Space” and working to transform them into initiatives, programs, and policies that respond to the actual needs of local communities. They also emphasized that their participation is not limited to raising challenges, but aims to build sustainable partnerships with political parties and stakeholders, contribute to developing solutions, and follow up on their implementation.

Ahmed Abdulqader, the Project Manager and Programs and Communities Specialist at the Center for Change Agents for Sustainable Development, noted that the meeting is part of a series of dialogue sessions implemented by the “Reef Safe Political Youth Space” with various stakeholders, decision-makers, and actors in public life. The sessions aim to establish direct and sustainable channels of dialogue between youth and political parties, and to enhance the participation of young people, particularly young men and women in governorates and rural communities, in discussing priority issues and shaping solutions and public policies.

He emphasized that the meeting represents an important opportunity to follow up on the recommendations and outcomes developed by youth through the project’s activities, particularly those related to the education and employment sectors, and to link them with political and party dialogue. This provides an opportunity to discuss ways to transform these recommendations into practical programs, initiatives, and policies. He explained that “Reef Safe Political Youth Space” works to shift young people from the role of recipients to that of active partners in dialogue and policymaking by strengthening their knowledge and skills and creating safe spaces for direct engagement with political parties, stakeholders, and decision-makers.

Abdulqader stressed the importance of giving greater attention to the issues facing youth in governorates and rural communities within party programs, particularly those related to aligning education with labor market needs, employment, training, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment, as well as enhancing the participation of women and young women in public and political life. He emphasized that political development cannot be complete without the genuine and effective participation of youth in identifying priorities and contributing to the development of solutions.

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants emphasized the importance of strengthening the role of political parties in following up on youth issues and translating their priorities and recommendations into practical programs and policies. They also called for expanding the participation of women and young women in political party and political life, supporting their access to leadership and decision-making positions, promoting justice and equal opportunities, and ensuring that youth and women in governorates and rural communities have access to education, training, employment, and financing opportunities.

They also stressed the importance of building sustained dialogue and effective partnerships between youth and political parties, contributing to bringing young people’s voices and priorities into public programs and policies, strengthening their role as active partners in development and decision-making, and supporting the political modernization process in Jordan.

This meeting comes as a continuation of the efforts of the “Reef Safe Political Youth Space” to strengthen dialogue between youth and various stakeholders, and to follow up on the recommendations and outcomes developed by youth through the project’s activities. These efforts contribute to developing policies that are more responsive to their needs and priorities, while enhancing the meaningful participation of youth, particularly those from governorates and rural communities, in public and political life.