In a session organized by the National Democratic Institute on 16/6/2020, members of the Women Caucus in the Jordanian Parliamentarians met with the former President of Kosovo, Her Excellency Atifete Jahjaga. The meeting was initiated by Mr. Arianet Shehu, Director of the National Democratic Institute in Jordan, who said, “These women who are with us today are role models for me, and Mrs. Jahjaga is also a model for me.” He referred to a study carried out by the National Democratic Institute on 150 countries, which showed that many bodies concerned with democracy did not provide a space for discussion, and it was found that there are governments that implement measures that contradict their constitutions and freedoms. He also pointed out that the study showed that in order for democratic bodies and governments to face the challenges left by the crisis, they must learn to deal with the society and the private sector to find a balance between disease management and community management. He stressed the importance of women’s participation in this crisis and said: “Jordan faced the crisis well, but the government did not communicate with female parliamentarians and did not make them part of decision-making.”

Dr. Sabah Al-Shaar, Chair of the Women Caucus, welcomed the attendees and indicated that the pandemic made women MPs focus on the problems of their regions and indicated that it was difficult to solve citizens’ problems due to the curfew.

H.E. Jahjaga indicated that the Corona crisis disturbed the political and economic balance and caused many to lose their loved ones and close their businesses, and indicated that panic and fear at the beginning of the crisis and lack of knowledge increased tension. She showed the difficulty faced by women in terms of providing resources for their homes, in addition to domestic violence, which increased in the absence of shelters, and thus they found themselves forced to face violence. She explained the role of women in preserving stability and commended women who wisely led their countries to overcome this crisis, saying: “The countries led by women have made their people calm as they had an added value and were leaders in a distinguished way, and they were able to contain the disease more than the rest of countries.” She added, “We women are well-organized and knowledgeable in managing crises and difficult situations, and at the same time we can maintain our calm.” Regarding her role as a former president of the State of Kosovo, she indicated that she was the youngest president and the first female president to hold this position, and she emphasized that her priority was to fulfill the needs of the people and said: “My priority was to be a leader and to fulfill the needs of the people regardless of their race, religion or color. Reconstruction and dialogue at all levels in society, and the dialogue table was expanded to include women, minorities and groups that were not present in our conversations before.” She emphasized that when she included the remote areas on the table of discussion, it turned out that they are the areas most in need of work. She noted that the media have focused more on criticizing her looks, clothes and compassionate nature than her work and accomplishments. She emphasized that bullying was encountered by women more than men. However, she stressed that she chose to fight harder and said, “Women deal with problems and excel at solving them more than the opposite sex.” She concluded, “You are in Jordan and you as parliamentarians should be proud of your accomplishments.”

Representative Reem Abu Delbooh, Chair of the Women’s Committee, indicated that this pandemic has placed everyone in front of the responsibility of preserving the health of Jordanians. She indicated that the role of female parliamentarians in light of the pandemic is important, as they used to communicate with those in positions of responsibility in order to discuss matters related to their constituencies and build bridges of trust between the government and citizens. She indicated the importance of the role of female parliamentarians also in the recovery phase, and said: “The recovery phase requires cooperation between the authorities. ”

MP Muntaha Al-Baoul stated that the pandemic has brought economic losses and caused many businesses to disrupt. She indicated that as a parliamentarian, she helped the unemployed and needy families, and said: “We realize the awareness of women in this crisis, which was the icon of positivity.”

MP Wafa Bani Mustafa indicated that the political role of parliament in general was absent, not only the role of women, and showed that the work of defense laws led to neglect and the absence of the entire social agenda, as there was complete silence about domestic violence. She indicated that the role of women parliamentarians is greater than charitable work despite its importance. She also indicated that women were not only absent at the Parliament level, but also at the government level, where only men appeared as heroes.  She added that the role of women who work in important sectors was largely ignored during the pandemic, as they accounted for 70% in the health sector and more than 60% in the education sector. However, she showed that the Internet and social media gave women a voice, as the coalition of women parliamentarians that she chairs worked to hold several sessions and to discuss important issues in light of the pandemic by examining the experiences of experts from Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine. She also referred to the guide on protecting women from political violence, which the coalition of women parliamentarian intends to launch in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute. She explained that it will enable women in Jordan and the world to deal with all forms of political violence. Attorney Haya Al-Mufleh indicated that during the curfew she was trying to help those in her circle through the phone, and then after the curfew ended, she was able to go to visit them and meet their needs. She also pointed to the problem of unemployment in Jordan, day laborers and women