Jordan Strategy Forum hosted the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohammad Ississ, in a Teleconference meeting that brought together members of the forum to discuss the latest economic developments of the Coronavirus and its impact on the Jordanian economy, entitled “The Resilience of the Jordanian Economy, Financial Policies and Adaptation Mechanisms".

Ississ said, “Just as Jordan’s health response was exceptional and ahead of the curve, its economic response must be exceptional, inclusive, and active.” He added, “Together the Government, Central Bank and the Social Security Corporation, with the support of generous Jordanians, have taken steps to mitigate the initial impact of the crisis, but many more decisions are in the pipeline to support both individuals and businesses. Our collective priority now is to ensure that our health sector has the resources that they need to protect the lives of Jordanians, while also safeguarding economic livelihoods.”

Ississ said, “The private sector knows how to hedge against risk but no one, governments or private sector, has a compass on how to hedge against uncertainty. The only way to navigate this uncertainty must be clarity between the government and the private sector.” He added, “We have learned from many challenges before that the best way to overcome a crisis in Jordan is to allow our citizens from all sectors to build the solution together. I am open to any and all suggestions from the private sector on how we can limit the global economic downturn in a manner that works best for Jordanian individuals and businesses.”

For his part, Abdelelah Al-Khatib, the Chairman of Jordan Strategy Forum said that this meeting comes as part of JSF efforts to support the Jordanian government in its battle against Coronavirus and its economic repercussions. Al-Khatib added that this meeting is an opportunity for positive networking between all parties from the public and private sectors, and a step forward towards a constructive dialogue aimed at reaching consensus on the new developments and the decisions that need to be taken.

Dr. Ibrahim Saif, the CEO of Jordan Strategy Forum, stated that the forum is ready to provide advice to the government for the benefit of the public and private sectors, in a manner that achieves economic resilience and growth. Saif stressed on the importance of Public- Private partnership to overcome the crisis with the least losses, as this partnership plays an important role in supporting the government in implementing priority and stimulating projects for the Jordanian economy within the coming period.

JSF members discussed with the minister the latest developments and several challenges that continue to press the economy, provided comments and suggestions on different ways to overcome the existing challenges and promote the growth of the Jordanian economy during the coming period.