His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday stressed that the main objectives are overcoming economic challenges and reducing poverty and unemployment, which require implementing projects and strategies on the ground to create job opportunities for youth.

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace with political and media figures, King Abdullah commended the capabilities of Jordanian youth, but said unemployment remains a challenge that requires hard work by everyone to overcome it.

Key issues that affect Jordanians, like hiring practices, must be based on transparency to ensure fairness, His Majesty affirmed.

The King stressed that Jordan is moving forward in development and progress with the dedication of its people, calling for teamwork among all institutions to fulfil the aspirations of Jordanians.

His Majesty also called for clarifying political, economic, and social plans and strategies to the public.

Turning to efforts to develop political life in Jordan, the King highlighted his meetings with parliamentary blocs and civil society organisations aimed at discussing proposals and identifying priorities to move forward in reform and development.

Jordan has come a long way in fighting corruption, His Majesty noted, adding that he has issued directives to step up these efforts.

The King also stressed the need to expedite the implementation of the e-government programme in order to prevent corrupt practices and streamline government procedures for citizens.

The meeting covered the London Initiative Conference hosted recently by the UK in partnership with the Jordanian government. His Majesty called for building on its outcomes, describing it as an important event that projected confidence in Jordan’s economy.

The King urged focus on attracting job-creating investments to Jordan, capitalising on the advantages the Kingdom offers.

Turning to the upcoming Arab Summit, which will be held in Tunisia later this month, His Majesty underscored Jordan’s commitment to ensuring the success of the meeting in bolstering joint Arab action, uniting Arab positions on mutual challenges, and enhancing Arab economic cooperation.

The King affirmed Jordan’s steadfast position on the Palestinian cause, which calls for establishing an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the two-state solution.

Discussions also touched on efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises.

Discussing the recent visit to Iraq, His Majesty said it had positive outcomes, in line with growing Jordanian-Iraqi ties.

Meeting attendees called for building on Jordan’s achievements, noting that differences in opinion over policies does not mean disagreeing over national constants.

They called for a national dialogue on political and economic issues, urging a focus on social development to counter problems of drugs and violence.

The political and media figures also stressed the need to fortify the internal front and launch a national debate that encompasses all components of society and is based on His Majesty’s discussion papers, to arrive at a national consensus on various challenges.

They said Jordan has endorsed several pieces of political and economic legislation, but the public is not fully aware of them due to weak communication between official institutions and citizens.

The attendees also stressed the need to fight corruption, noting that the degree of perceived corruption exceeds its actual size, which calls for clarity in public procedures and policies.

Jordan has many plans and strategies, but has problems in implementing them on the ground, they added, calling for tangible achievements that citizens can sense.

They noted the importance of moving forward with the e-government programme and digitising procedures to limit the potential of corrupt practices, calling for progress in education, healthcare, and infrastructure while giving more attention to the agricultural sector as a driver of economic growth and job creation.

Calling for developing vocational training programmes, they affirmed the need to activate youth’s role and inspire optimism, while harnessing their energies in development and progress.

The attendees also commended His Majesty’s efforts to defend Jerusalem and the rights of the Palestinians, noting the great stature of Jordan globally.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas, and Adviser to His Majesty for Economic Affairs Mohamad Ississ attended the meeting.