Amman (UNA/Petra) – Minister of Social Development and Chairperson of the Ministerial Committee for Women's Empowerment, Wafa Bani Mustafa, said that Jordan, under the leadership of King Abdullah II, realizes the importance of investing in young minds and supporting the innovation environment, and that the Kingdom has witnessed tangible qualitative development in this field in recent years.
In her speech during her participation, last Wednesday evening, in the Sultanate of Oman’s side event “Arab Women Towards Creativity and Innovation: The Age of the Industrial Revolution,” on the sidelines of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, she pointed out that the engine of entrepreneurship and innovation is Jordan’s bridge to a prosperous future, and the economic modernization vision launched by His Majesty aims to achieve sustainable growth and raise the quality of life for new generations by focusing on eight engines, most notably “entrepreneurship, innovation, and future services.”
She added that thanks to the security and stability Jordan enjoys, it has become a vital center for creativity and entrepreneurship, as it enjoys a supportive environment that embraces creative ideas and provides the necessary tools to transform them into tangible achievements. This is evident in many areas, including education and scientific research, curriculum modernization, the introduction of specialized programs, and the introduction of new specializations in universities to keep pace with all developments such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. In addition, business incubators and accelerators such as the Crown Prince Foundation, the Innovation Support Fund, the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau, and Oasis 500, which contribute to transforming ideas into viable projects.
She highlighted the field of creative industries and technology, with Jordanian startups now competing globally in financial technology, e-commerce, software development, and artificial intelligence, highlighting the success of a number of pioneering startups both locally and internationally.
She called for the need to foster a culture of creativity in society by providing educational and encouraging environments that support critical thinking and problem-solving, along with investing in research and development. She emphasized the need to empower youth and women, as they are the primary drivers of innovation.
Bani Mustafa explained that despite the developments that the technological revolution can bring about, the ethics of dealing with it have become a matter of concern. Artificial intelligence (AI) is creating what is known as deep fakery, which is capable of realistically falsifying images and videos. This could lead to media misinformation, fraud, and privacy violations, as AI relies on big data analysis and could lead to the breach of individuals' privacy and the unethical use of their information.
It is worth noting that the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, chaired this year by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, focuses on presenting and evaluating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. It also presents an assessment of current challenges affecting the implementation of the Platform for Action, the achievement of gender equality, the empowerment of women, and their contribution to the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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