AMMAN, 10 June 2006 — The Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms. Amat Al Aleem Ali Alsoswa will pay a four-day official visit to Jordan starting Sunday, 11 June 2006.
Succeeding Dr. Rima Khalaf, Ms. Amat Al Alim Alsoswa of Yemen became Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrative of UNDP and Director of its Regional Bureau for Arab States on 1 March 2006.
Ms. Alsoswa oversees the work of more than 500 UNDP staff working in 17 country offices in the Arab region, with an 18th office located in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She further supervises a comprehensive regional programme conceptualized around achieving the Millennium Development Goals, democratic governance and building a knowledge society.
UNDP is the largest grant-based assistance programme within the United Nations and has provided grant and technical assistance to Jordan since 1952.
To review UNDP’s programme in the country and learn more about the country’s national development priorities, Ms. Alsoswa will meet with Her Royal Highness, Princess Basma, who is UNDP’s Honorary Human Development Ambassador. She is also scheduled to meet officials of government institutions that work directly with UNDP in Jordan. She will be meeting with ministers of Planning and International Cooperation, Finance, Environment, Information & Communication Technology and the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament. Her meetings will also include representatives of the civil society, donor community and the United Nations agencies in Jordan.
As part of UNDP projects in Jordan, Ms. Alsoswa will visit the National Committee for Demining (NCDR) and Rehabilitation and meet H.H. Prince Mired bin Raad, the Chairman of the Board of NCDR, and visit the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) and meet with H.E. Ahmad Obaidat, the Chairman of NCHR.
The Regional Director will also visit the Biogas Plant in Russeifeh, one of UNDP’s environmental projects that aim to use solid waste as a vital renewable energy resource. The first of its kind in the Middle East, the Biogas Plant has been constructed and has been operating producing electricity at 1MW since the year 2000. UNDP in cooperation with the Government of Jordan, Amman Municipality and Jordan Biogas Company are currently working on the expansion of the Plant in order to increase the production of electricity to 3.5MW.