04/08/2025

As part of the Government of Jordan’s ongoing efforts to enhance women’s participation in the labor market and in alignment with the national agenda for women’s economic empowerment, the World Bank, in coordination with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC) – Reform Secretariat, and the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), held a consultative session on Monday, August 4, 2025.

The session brought together representatives from over 20 entities, including government ministries and institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, and international partners engaged in supporting early childhood development services and advancing women’s empowerment. Discussions focused on the expansion of childcare services as a key enabler for increasing women’s economic opportunities, under the Enhancing Women’s Economic Opportunities (EWEO) Project in Jordan.

The session aimed to map existing services and support programs provided to nurseries at various stages, identify service and capacity gaps to better support women, families, and childcare providers, and propose effective coordination mechanisms between the MoSD and relevant stakeholders to ensure role complementarity and maximize impact.

Importantly, the EWEO Project, implemented by the Government of Jordan with support from the World Bank, aims to increase women’s labor force participation by addressing four key constraints including workplace conditions, access to childcare, financial inclusion, and safe transportation. The project supports the expansion of the childcare sector —particularly in non-serviced areas— through the development of a national childcare policy, strengthened regulatory frameworks, capacity-building for childcare providers, and efforts to increase awareness and uptake of childcare services among working mothers.