UNESCOAmmanQuarterlyNewsletterApril 2013Vol.4 - Issue 1

Dear colleagues and friends,

Welcome to the first 2013 issue of the UNESCO Amman Office quarterly

newsletter. It is with great pleasure that I look back on the past four months of achievements and share some of these with you.

On the occasion of World AIDS Day in December 2012, we officially launched our youth-focused mass media campaign on HIV/AIDS called “Red

Inside this issue

UNESCO leads Jordan’s post-2015 development agenda consultation on education

UNESCO/EU €4.3 million project for young Syrian refugees in Jordan

Regional training on Syrian cultural heritage: addressing the issue of illicit trafficking

Launch of heritage education resource kit on the historical site of Jerash

Launch of “Red Ribbon” to raise aware-ness on HIV/AIDS

Enhancing professional and accurate media reporting on the electoral pro-cess

Behind the scenes of “The Syrian Hour”

Media information literacy training for teachers and students

Three years of achievements in climate change adaptation

Pan Arab disaster risk reduction con-ference in Aqaba

Time for action to end violence against women

Education

Natural Sciences

Culture

Communication & Information

International Women’s Day

Ribbon”. This campaign involves the production and broadcasting of six public ser-vice announcements on television, awareness raising through social media and train-ing of youth volunteers in media skills.

January saw the national elections of Jordan where voters, politicians and international media all turned their attention to the electoral process. UNESCO was and is currently still actively involved in enhancing the quality of media reporting during and after the electoral process. Thanks to funding from the European Union, the Amman Office is implementing a year-long project that focuses on developing the capacity of Jordanian media professionals to report accurately and professionally on elections.

By February, the Amman Office was in full swing with the launch of the heritage edu-cation kit, the conclusion of the three-year project on “Adaptation to climate change to sustain Jordan’s MDG achievement”, the organization of a four-day regional training on the illicit trafficking of Syrian cultural property, and the facilitation of a national education consultation on the post-2015 development agenda.

Following an eventful month, March saw the beginning of media information literacy training to teachers, students and other stakeholders; the celebration of International Women’s Day, as well as UNESCO’s participation at the three-day pan Arab confer-ence on disaster risk reduction.

UNESCO is also becoming increasingly involved in supporting the plight of Syrian refugees in Jordan. In addition to the aforementioned training workshop on the illicit trafficking of Syrian cultural property, we are currently implementing a radio pro-gramme called “The Syrian Hour” to disseminate vital information on relief services to Syrian refugees in northern Jordan, as well as preparing to start our three-year EU-funded project to sustain quality education and promote vocational skills develop-ment opportunities for young Syrians in Jordan. These projects are only partly funded and we are still seeking additional funding to scale up our intervention.

I hope you enjoy reading of some of our major achievements over the last four months and should you wish to learn more about the UNESCO Amman Office or partner with us, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Anna PaoliniHead of the UNESCO Office in Amman, UNESCO Representative to Jordan

Editorial

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n UNESCO leads Jordan’s post-2015 development agenda consultation on education What role do schools play in preparing youth for suc-cessful careers? The UNESCO Amman Office led a 2-day national consultation on education for Jordan, address-ing this and other questions related to the topic “making education relevant to the workplace.” The consultation brought together youth, teachers, parents, civil society groups and policy makers from across the country to discuss the findings of the recent Education for All Glob-al Monitoring Report on the topic of youth and skills. Jordan was one of the 6 Arab countries and 50 countries from around the world selected to conduct consultations on the global post-2015 development agenda.

“As the target date of 2015 for reaching the Millennium Development Goals approaches, the international com-munity is actively taking stock of headways or setbacks encountered by countries on their way to achieving these

universal goals,” said Dr. Anna Paolini, Head of the UNESCO Amman Office. “Although Jordan has made steady progress in improving access to com-pulsory education, raising completion rates of primary education and elimi-nating gender disparities in educa-tion… unemployment remains a clear challenge for Jordan, especially for its young people” Dr. Paolini added.

Held on the 19th and 20th of February 2013 in Amman, the forum drew upon a number of national, regional and in-ternational education trends and poli-cy frameworks to set the context. Mod-erated by a team of education experts,

the discussions led to a consensus on the following priori-ties: catering to different talents and students’ needs; acti-vating the accountability and appraisal system; ensuring adequate pre-service training for teachers; ensuring that teachers are qualified, flexible and open-minded; and up-dating the curricula in a timely manner in order for teach-ers to use modern teaching methods with high practical relevance. These conclusions will be included in a final report that will help inform the global post-2015 develop-ment agenda.

Her Majesty Queen Rania joined the discussion on the sec-ond day, stressing the need to support the aspirations of the youth and to empower them to compete in the work-place, regionally and globally.

“I believe in the skills of our young people and in the qual-ity of students graduating from our education institutions despite the challenges and limited resources,” she said. “Every day through my work I see young people who have done things to make us very proud… they invent things, they develop things and this is something that characterizes Jordan and that we should safeguard… but this needs an effort on our part,” Her Majesty added.

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In response to the challenges posed by the escalating influx of Syrian refugees into the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the UNESCO Amman Office is launching a €4.3 million project funded by the EU to sustain quality education and promote skills development opportunities for young Syrian refugees and young Jordanians impacted by the humanitarian crisis.

“Conflict and displacement can have a devastating impact on the educational prospects of displaced persons as well as bur-den the education systems of neighboring host communities,” says Anna Paolini, Director of UNESCO’s Amman Office. “UNESCO plays an active role in promoting education as a key tool in preventing conflict and rebuilding lives in emer-gency and post-conflict situations.”

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nThe UNESCO Amman Office, the Ministry of Education and its local partners, among which are the Queen Rania Training Academy (QRTA), and Questscope, are combining their exper-tise in this three-year project to: i) address qualified teachers’ gap by building their capacities in teaching and mentoring strategies in emergency situations; and ii) offer demand-driven informal and non-formal education, programmes and vocational skills development opportunities for Syrian youth inside the refugee camps and for Jordanian and Syrian youth in urban areas. UNESCO will deliver teacher training that adheres to interna-tionally-recognized standards and guidelines for education in emergency and post conflict situations as provided by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Mini-mum Standards. Furthermore, UNESCO will map the needs of youth through a comprehensive census leading to further pro-vision of demand-driven vocational training, literacy and liveli-hood programs, as well as mentoring, informal and non-formal education in the camps and urban areas.

Although the Government of Jordan has put several measures in place to support the Syrian refugees in education, the con-stant increase in new arrivals places a heavy strain on the sys-tem. With Syrian refugees numbering 144,997 (either registered or awaiting registration with UNHCR) at the end of 2012 – 55% of which are children under the age of 18 – educational oppor-tunities for conflict-affected youth are needed to enable them to develop resilient attitudes, catch up with school, or acquire new skills that would enhance their future employment prospects.

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UNESCO/EU €4.3 million project for young Syrian refugees in Jordan

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As part of UNESCO’s action in response to the current Syr-ian crisis, the Amman Office organized a four-day regional training workshop, from the 10th to 13th of February 2013, to promote awareness and cooperation to prevent the illicit trafficking of Syrian cultural property. This initiative is part of a broader range of measures that UNESCO is undertaking in its fields of competence to respond to the Syrian crisis.

Under the patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Has-san and with the support of the Swiss Federal Office for Culture, the initiative brought together representatives of customs and heritage departments from Syria and neighbor-ing countries, as well as international experts from countries such as Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany and the United States to discuss the situation of illicit trafficking and looting of Syrian cultural artifacts. The training drew on the experi-ence gained by UNESCO in other conflict and post-conflict situations, such as Iraq and Afghanistan in order to propose actions to address the current threats in relation to Syria. “For UNESCO, respect for culture is an integral part of re-

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Regional training on Syrian cultural heritage: addressing the issue of illicit trafficking

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spect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We must join efforts to safeguard and protect Syrian cultural heritage,” declared the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, in her recent statements on the situation of cultural heritage in Syria, building on the statements by the joint UN-Arab League Special Envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.

“We must focus on the importance of museums and archives as repositories of shared knowledge for a nation,” said HRH Prin-cess Sumaya Bint Al-Hassan in a keynote speech to delegates at-tending the opening of the event. “These should be protected by populations and combatants as sanctuaries and shared spaces and must be elevated above politics and conflict.”

The current situation of cultural property in Syria raises serious concerns as many historical and archaeological sites, among them UNESCO World Heritage Sites and sites in the World Heritage Tentative List, have been affected by armed conflict. The looting of several archaeological sites and museums has also been reported by various sources.

Following the training workshop, an action plan was devel-oped to: i) address the present scenario in Syria; and ii) address the longer term recovery actions including preventative actions and tools to safeguard heritage at risk. The action plan focuses on advocacy, capacity building and awareness-raising with the involvement of all major stakeholders – including the Syrian authorities and Syria’s neighbouring countries – for improved regional and international cooperation.

To this regard, it was proposed that UNESCO should have a key role in coordinating this effort by:- Creating an ad hoc UNESCO fund for the salvage of the Syrian cultural heritage;- Creating a Syrian Heritage Coordination Group under the aus-pices of UNESCO, comprised of representatives of International Organizations, NGOs and representatives of international ar-chaeological missions working in Syria.

UNESCO welcomes support from partners and donors on re-alising the proposed action plan. As the Director-General re-minded, all concerned parties “shall be held accountable not only for the tragic loss of human lives but also for the loss of the inestimable testimonies of Syria’s past history and legacy to the world’s civilization.”

Launch of heritage education resource kit on the historical site of Jerash The UNESCO Amman Office officially launched the Educational Resource Kit on Jerash on February 12, 2013 under the patronage of her Royal Highness Princess Sumayya Bint Al-Hassan. The kit is aimed at providing extracurricular pedagogical support for teachers leading visits in the historical site in Jerash. Prepared and produced by UNESCO after extensive research of existing teaching practices and needs in the field of heritage education, the kit targets teachers and students of grades 5 and 6 and is complementary to the national curriculum.A part of a country’s identity is the preservation of its heritage by its people. Teaching young people to appreciate and care for their coun-try’s heritage is the basis for its preservation and conservation. Hence, developing effective approaches and suitable materials for teaching tangible and intangible heritage to students is vital. UNESCO’s Edu-cational Resource Kit on Jerash, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the civil society organization Friends of Archaeology and Heritage Jordan, includes interactive materials, presentations, visuals and a short film about the history of the site, as well as practical examples of activities for teachers to conduct in-

class and on-site. These materials are accessible to all teachers through the pedagogical resources portal of the Ministry of Education. The short film is available on UNESCO’s YouTube channel youtube.com/unescoamman.

UNESCO attends first ever Pan-Arab disaster risk reduction conference in AqabaThe UNESCO Amman Office participated in the first Arab Regional Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in March 2013 at Aqaba, Jordan. Attending the conference were Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlström, Princess Sumaya, the Arab League, delegations of Arab governments, mayors from high-risk Arab cities, development agencies and funds, in-ternational organizations and civil social organizations.

The conference covered critical areas such as: global risk trends, regional progress in DRR, developing a global DRR framework, challenges and opportunities, the UN Plan of Action for DRR, urban risk reduction in the region, making cities resilient and good practices.

In highlighting the role of heritage, cultural practices and traditional knowledge in DRR, the UNESCO Amman Office made a presentation

on DRR and heritage activities in Jordan, focusing on:

(1) the concluded Risk Mapping Project of Petra and the results achieved, such as the development of a risk management methodology to identify and assess risks within the Petra Archaeological Park and the final publication on ‘Risk Manage-ment at Heritage Sites’;

(2) the ongoing project of Sustainable Monitoring Techniques for Assessing Instability of Slopes in the Siq of Petra, which focuses on risks facing the site, in particular the Siq, and the Integrated Monitoring System that is being installed at the Siq for risk monitoring.

As heritage can contribute to DRR be-fore, during and after disasters, through acting as a physical barrier against the calamities before and during the disaster, and acting as a symbol of unity after the disaster, it was stressed that more should be done to integrate heritage consider-ations when planning disaster preven-tion strategies and resources such as the World Heritage Strategy for DRR should be better used.

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The UNESCO Amman Office, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Na-tional AIDS Programme, ILO, WHO, UNAIDS, UN-FPA, UNRWA and Y-Peers launched a youth-focused mass media campaign on HIV/AIDS on December 3rd in commemoration of World AIDS Day 2012. The cam-paign aims to increase the level of awareness and under-standing among youth on issues relating to HIV/AIDS.

Named “Red Ribbon”, the campaign targets youth aged 18-27 and includes the production and airing of six short public service announcement (PSA) clips on Ro’ya TV from December 2012 to May 2013. As a part of the cam-paign, a Facebook page (facebook.com/RedRibbonJO) has been launched for youth in Jordan to encourage dis-cussion on HIV/AIDS issues, while making available knowledge experts to respond to any questions or con-cerns raised on HIV/AIDS. Each new PSA clip is shared on the Facebook page, in addition to daily tips, videos, e-posters, related articles and links to publications.

Launch of “Red Ribbon” to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS

In her speech at the launch event, the UNESCO Head of Office in Amman Dr. Anna Paolini emphasized that “use of new media and technologies, including the internet, provides an important opportunity to reach and sensitize young people who are increasingly influencing each other through social media channels. UNESCO will continue to draw on the combined expertise of its Education and Communication and Information Sectors to maximise the potential of new media and technologies.”

Prior to the launch of the project, youth focus group dis-cussions were held across Jordan to highlight the main issues and concerns that should be taken into consider-ation when drafting the script for the episodes. This was followed by a scriptwriters workshop conducted by the series’ producer Ro’ya TV to ensure the script appropri-ately addresses the issue of attitude and behavior change towards HIV/AIDS among youth.

Currently in Jordan, HIV/AIDS prevalence is relatively

“ “contained. However, the overall level of knowledge and understanding on the disease is limited among the general public. A 2008 study conducted in the Balqa Governorate among 1,887 college students showed that 67% of them had the misconception that sharing food with people liv-ing with HIV/AIDS can lead to transmission, while over 50% of them believed sneezing/coughing and mosquito bites were also possible routes of infection. 32% of the stu-dents surveyed said that people living with HIV should not be allowed to study in school and 25% said that they should not be allowed to teach. These figures reveal a star-tling lack of understanding on HIV/AIDS among the sur-veyed group.

Increasing education and understanding of HIV/AIDS is crucial to avoiding misconception and stigma surround-ing the issue. Campaigns and events such as World AIDS Day help to raise awareness, promote non-discrimination and change people’s perceptions so that the global fight against AIDS can be won.

A 2008 study conducted in the Balqa Governorate among 1,887

college students showed that 67% of them had the misconception that

sharing food with people living with HIV/AIDS can lead to trans-mission, while over 50% of them believed sneezing/coughing and

mosquito bites were also possible routes of infection.

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With the high number of vulnerable Syrian women and youth in Jor-dan and the absence of a centralized communication platform to dis-seminate information on humanitarian services, “Al Sa’a Suriya” or “The Syrian Hour” radio program uses radio as a strategic tool to give voice to the Syrian refugee community in Jordan. It provides them with a communication platform where they can freely access informa-tion, express their concerns and participate in relief operations. The program has an important role in delivering essential humanitarian information to help Syrian refugees in their daily lives, as well as pro-viding psychosocial support to the refugees as it is hosted by Syrians, for Syrians.

The project has proven to be very successful and extremely welcomed by the Syrian community based on feedback on air and via the pro-gram’s Facebook page (facebook.com/Saa.Suriya). Therefore, UNES-CO is seeking additional funding to continue the project beyond June 2013 and to expand it to other areas in Jordan with large Syrian popu-lations.

Below is a personal account of Majd, one of the Syrian youths that has been trained to produce and host “The Syrian Hour”:

I’m Majd, a Syrian youngster. I love Syria. I’m 20, very ambitious, and my ambitions are always bigger than me. The first path of my dream was at the Faculty of Media and Mass Communication at the Univer-sity of Damascus, a path that I thought was lost after finding refuge in Jordan. But thank God, Yarmouk FM was the compass that put me back on the road to my dream. “The Syrian Hour” radio program was like a beacon shining at the beginning of that road.

I never hesitated to be a part of this program, I was hoping that I could do something to help other Syrian refugees, therefore when I was asked to take part in this project I was very pleased for this opportunity. This has also allowed me to follow up on the education I had to stop, and get involved in the same field. Therefore, I thank those responsible for this project for the opportunity they have offered us.

We tried to convey the soreness and problems of Syrians here in Jordan. We helped in many things, but could not in others. Through “The Syr-ian Hour” radio show, our humanity brought us to be brothers. Syria, you will be back. God bless you, you and your people. This comes from a Syrian heart, in Jordan, through the voice of Yarmouk FM.

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Behind the scenes of“The Syrian Hour”

The first path of my dream was at the Fac-ulty of Media and Mass Communication at the University of Damascus, a path that I thought was lost after finding refuge in Jordan. But thank God, Yarmouk FM was the compass that put me back on the road to my dream. “The Syrian Hour” radio program was like a beacon shining at the beginning of that road.

“ “

.. Majd

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In the framework of the reformed electoral process and the 2013 parliamentary elections in Jordan, the EU-funded UNESCO project ‘Enhancing professional and accurate media on the electoral process in Jordan’ aims at building the technical capacities of the media. The Project works with media stakeholders from print, electronic and online

Consultations, training and awareness to enhance professional media cover-age of elections in Jordan

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nmedia (reporters, editors, managers and owners) to in-crease their capacities so that through better media cov-erage of elections, public confidence and participation in the democratic electoral process will be enhanced.

The initiative builds upon UNESCO’s two-decade ex-perience in building the capacities of media sectors during elections (e.g. in South-Eastern Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America) and arises based on a needs assess-ment conducted with Jordanian media stakeholders.

The Project is being implemented with partners the Jor-dan Media Institute, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, Community Media Network and Albany Associates using a mix of standard, localized and inno-

vative activities designed to:

• Develop, in a participatory way, a strategy to support the Jordanian media community (including online me-dia) in understanding its essential role in an electoral process;

• Train media professionals at all levels on reporting accurately, professionally and independently on elec-tions as per international best-practices, including spe-cialized sessions on investigative reporting and gender-sensitive reporting during elections;

• Provide in-house support to media entities and profes-sionals to improve the quality of the election reporting - e.g. through newsroom-based media self-regulation, piloting crowd-source-based investigative reporting on elections, and supporting community-based entities in implementing online mechanisms to enhance election reporting.

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nEmpowering people through media and information literacy (MIL) is essential for the promotion of a free and pluralistic media environment. The UNESCO Amman Office has begun a pilot project called "Inte-grating Media and Information Literacy in Jordanian Schools" to provide Jordanian youth with knowledge and training on MIL and information and communi-cation technologies (ICT).

“MIL lies at the core of freedom of expression and information. It empowers citizens to understand the functions of media and other information providers, so that the public is able to critically evaluate their content and make subsequently informed decisions,” said Dr. Anna Paolini, Head of UNESCO Amman Of-fice and UNESCO Representative in Jordan.

Media information literacy training for teachers and students

Following a three-day training for the teachers on March 11-13, the project aims to teach 10th grade stu-dents from four pilot schools on research and analysis of new and traditional media, understanding of infor-mation biases and contexts, and how to express them-selves appropriately through media platforms. The chosen schools are a part of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network and represent north, south and central Jordan.

Beginning this week, ten students from each of the four schools are taking part in undertaken extra-cur-riculum classes in MIL twice a week for the next two months. The classes are given by the trained teach-ers and further supported by experts from the Arab Women Media Centre. Topics in focus will be debating techniques, social media campaigning, internet-based research, news analysis and writing techniques.

Following the completion of the training, students from each school will come together for a debating competition to practice their new skills and knowl-edge. Each school will also produce an electronic newsletter featuring articles on pressing issues in their communities with special focus on youth and gender.

This UNESCO project is part of a wider SIDA-funded initiative titled "Promoting an Enabling Environment for Freedom of Expression/Global Action with Spe-cial Focus on the Arab Region".

The project aims to teach students research and analysis of new and traditional media, understanding of information

biases and contexts, and how to express themselves appropriate-

ly through media platforms

“ “

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Three years of achievements

Following the completion of the three-year project “Ad-aptation to climate change to sustain Jordan’s MDG achievement”, the UNES-CO Amman Office would like to share some of its key achievements in strengthen-ing adaptive capacity under water scarce conditions and improving national capac-ity in integrated water re-sources management. The project was a joint UN initia-tive funded by the Spanish MDG Achievement Fund implemented by UNESCO,

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UNDP, WHO and FAO with key national partners the Min-istry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Ag-riculture, Ministry of Water and Irrigation and Ministry of Education for the years 2009-2013.

• Greater national capacity in water and environmental re-search through the establishment of the International Center for Water and Environmental Research at Al Balqa Applied University. The Center is now fully operational and was ad-opted by the Ministry of Environment as the official training center for environmental impact assessment studies.

• Enriched national knowledge through research conducted on the impact of climate change on water quality of the Am-man Zarqa Basin, the impact of climate change on treated water quality for different scenarios in Jordan, and an assess-ment of potential sites for water harvesting in north-eastern Badia desert.

• Enhanced knowledge in climate change modelling con-cepts through capacity development of the Ministry of Wa-ter and Irrigation (MoWI) by experts from the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) (a UNES-CO category I Institute), with two selected MoWI staff sent for advanced training to ICTP in Trieste.

• Enhanced capacity of MoWI in surface water and ground water models through a training workshop led by experts from the Stockholm Environment Institute to review and evaluate water management options using the Water Evalu-ation and Planning methodology.

• Enhanced capacity of 19 hydrologists from MoWI on groundwater modelling concepts and tools through a train-ing course and development of a training manual.

• Enhanced knowledge on flash flood risk assessment and management concepts of 20 water professionals from the MoWI through training delivered by experts from the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research.

• Enhanced knowledge on gender sensitive reporting of cli-mate change issues among media students through multi-disciplinary media training across Jordan. • Enhanced skills of water officials from Iraq, Palestine and Jordan in regional negotiation of transboundary water re-source management and water conflict resolution through three training workshops held in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

• Enhanced capacity of a select MoWI staff on water gover-nance and natural resources negotiation through a two week training course held by the National Resources Leadership Academy at Oregon State University, United States.

• Enhanced capacity of MoWI in rainwater harvesting con-cepts through training led by experts from Gansu Research Institute for Water Conservancy, China.

• Increased capacity of the MoWI in developing its strategic plan for 2012-2015 by providing 28 specialists from the MoWI, the Jordan Water Authority and the Jordan Valley Authority with two training workshops.

• Enhanced knowledge in integrated water resources man-agement concepts of newly appointed staff of the MoWI, the Jordan Water Authority and Jordan Valley Authority through a five-day training course.

• Increased knowledge sharing and awareness of water issues in Jordan through the development of a manual on water edu-cation and the implementation of a series of trainings target-ing various groups (including teachers, women, journalists,

imams) in the northern, southern and central directorates of Jordan.

• Increased student awareness on water conservation through a cartoon storyboard competition called H2ooooh!

in climate change adaptation

o 5,600 students (of grades 8 and 9) participated in a na-tionwide competition in July 2012 where they submitted storyboards to develop an educational cartoon on water conservation. Through being involved in this activity, the students and their families have a better understanding of the limited availability, sustainable use and conserva-tion of water. The winning storyboard will be developed into an animated cartoon in 2013 to promote further awareness-raising.

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In line with this year’s International Women’s Day theme of ‘A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women’, the UNESCO Amman Office in cooperation with the I am a Human Society organized a seminar on ending violence against women with dis-abilities. Attending the event were sixty representatives from the Higher Council for Persons with Disabilities Affairs, experts in women and disabilities from public and private universities and civil society organizations working for the disabled.

“To empower women and ensure equality, we must challenge every form of violence every time it occurs” stated Dr Anna Paolini, Head of UNESCO Amman Office and UNESCO Representative to Jordan. “In particular, addressing the issue of violence against women with disabilities will require the involvement of segments of the community that have not tradition-ally been active in such efforts,” Dr. Paolini added.

“The cry of women with disabilities is often not heard because of the shame and embarrassment that disabili-ties are still associated with in the family and commu-nity, as well as due to the poverty and ignorance that

plagues such discrimination” said Ms. Asia Yaghi, President of I am Human Society.

According to a Special Report by the US Department of Jus-tice in 2007, the rate of violent crime against people with dis-abilities was 1.5 times that of people without disabilities; for sexual assault and rape, the rate was more than twice that of persons without disabilities. Females had a higher victimiza-tion rate than males among persons with disabilities.The event featured presentations by:

• Ms. Shereen Hussein from I am a Human Society on the working paper ‘The cry of women with disabilities against violence’, which discussed the types of violence against women with disabilities;

• Professor Inaam Al Asha from the Jordanian Women's Solidarity Institute, who discussed a working paper entitled "Importance of the role of men in ending violence against women with disabilities";

• Raja Al Misabi , UN Good will Ambassador from Yemen who discussed through Skype her personal success story in achieving her current position; and

• Barbra Bromel, Director of the Institute of Women with Disabilities who also shared her personal success story.

The event concluded with an open discussion on the presen-tations and formulation of a number of recommendations to be implemented by respective parties.

The rate of violent crime against people with disabilities

was 1.5 times that of people without disabilities; for sexual assault and rape, the rate was

more than twice that of persons without disabilities.Special Report by the US Department of

Justice in 2007

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the UN and works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. UNESCO’s mission in Jordan is to work with the government of Jordan to provide effective high qual-ity educational, scientific, cultural and communica-tions programmes.

For more information about the work of UNESCO in Jordan, please visit unesco.org/amman

Contact InformationMailing Address:P.O. Box 2270 Amman 11181 Jordan

Office Email Address: amman@unesco.org

Phone Number: +962-6 5340891

Anna PaoliniHead of Office +962 6 5340891 Ext.1-444+962 6 5340896

Lydia LuoAssistant to the Head of Officel.luo@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-135

Randa MorcosSenior Secretaryr.morcos@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-444

Henrietta SukhunAdministrative Officerh.sukhun@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-118+962 6 5340896

Rana Salem Finance Assistantr.salem@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-121+962 6 5340896

William Nemehw.nemeh@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-120+962 6 5340896

Claude AkpabieEducation Specialistc.akpabie@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-132

Hadeel TalliEducation Officerh.talli@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-123

Sonia SpencerEmergency Education Specialists.spencer@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-130

Sharhabeel HamdanIT Specialists.hamdan@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext. 136

Priscilla Yoon Programme Assistant p.yoon@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext. 1-149

Our Team

Director’s Office

Administrative Unit

EducationScience

Culture

IT Sector

Ma’aly HazzazProgramme Specialist m.hazzaz@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 ext 1-137

Rut Gomez-Sobrino Project Managerr.gomez-sobrino@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext. 1-174

Shaden Abu Al-Haijaa Project Assistant Officers.abu-al-haijaa@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-174

Wencke MuellerInternw.mueller@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext. 1-143

Giorgia CesaroAssistant Project Officer g.cesaro@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-147

Valentina GambaCulture Programme Assistant v.gamba@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext. 148

Andrea Richards Project Officera.richards@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.146

Lama Al MasalhaScience Officerl.almasalha@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-115

Sa'id Al SaaidahIT Managers.alsaaidah@unesco.org+962 6 5340891 Ext.1-111

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The UNESCO Office in Amman Newsletter is published quarterly by the UNESCO Office in Amman. Articles may be freely reproduced, with credit to the UNESCO Office in Amman.

Editing, layout and design by Ms. Maaly Hazzaz. For com-ments and suggestions, contact m.hazzaz@unesco.org

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Since the distribution of our last newsletter in November, the UNESCO Amman Office has welcomed six new staff members:- Rut Gomez-Sobrino as Project Manager of the Media and Elections Program - Shaden Abu Al-Haijaa as Project Assistant Of-ficer of the Media and Elections Program- Andrea Richards as Project Officer of the Culture sector- Priscilla Yoon as Programme Assistant for UNESCO’s emergency education project for Syr-ian refugees in Jordan- Lydia Luo as Assistant to the Head of Office- Wencke Mueller as an intern with the Com-munication and Information sector

UNESCO Office in Amman welcomes new colleagues

Fax Number: +962-6 5340896

Lydia Luo Wencke MuellerPriscilla Yoon

Andrea Richards Rut Gomez-SobrinoShaden Abu Al-Haijaa