Message | 05/09/2021 | 13:26
Amman, Jordan – The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands organized a private sector dialogue session with over 30 Jordanian companies of various sizes, small, medium and large, on Thursday 2nd September 2021. The companies in attendance came from a variety of industries including banking, investment companies, grocery delivery, logistics and pharmaceuticals. This was an opportunity for the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Kingdom of Jordan, HE Harry Verweij, to meet and get to know key players in the Jordanian private sector.
©Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jordan
In his first official address as Ambassador to Jordan, SE Verweij presented the embassy’s plans and programs for private sector engagement while emphasizing the importance of involving young people in the private sector. “Youth is the key to sustainable economic growth and is of central importance to the entire development policy of the Netherlands. The Netherlands introduced a strategy called Youth @ Heart last year to ensure that young people are involved in our approaches and empower them to act in shaping their future. This is of great relevance for Jordan and is therefore the focus of the youth in our discussion today, ”said Verweij.
The Netherlands actively supports the development of the private sector in Jordan. As of 2019, the Netherlands has over 30 million youth, women and vulnerable communities involved in the embassy’s economic development programs.
In addition, the Netherlands is particularly active in supporting the horticultural value chain and helping companies increase production and product quality while using less water. In addition, through the Dutch Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI), the Netherlands proactively helps agricultural and other companies prepare for and enter foreign markets, including the Netherlands.
Recently, the embassy signed a € 4 million project with Leaders International to help Jordanian SMEs become consistent and high quality suppliers to the Jordanian industry and replace the need for expensive and time-consuming imports.
The Netherlands declared Jordan a priority country for development cooperation in 2019 and invested more than 200 million euros to support the reception of refugees and vulnerable host communities. The Netherlands and Jordan enjoy enhanced cooperation in a number of areas including food security, water management, technical and vocational education, trade and investment, entrepreneurship and human rights.