The Policy Working Group of the regional programme Mainstreaming Employment into Trade and Investment (METI)  concluded its second meeting in Amman, Jordan, on 17 August 2022. Following the introductory remarks by its chairperson Dr. Metri Mdanat, Secretary-General of the Economic and Social Council for Jordan , and by Ms. Frida Khan, Country Coordinator of the ILO in Jordan, members of the working group were introduced to the main findings of a study on “Export potential and employment creation in Jordan", jointly carried out by the ILO and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

Members of the working group then shared the priorities related to employment, trade and investment of their respective entities and engaged in a rich discussion. At the end of the discussion, the working group members reached consensus on four potential priorities for METI’s value chain analysis: (i) Apparel, (ii) Engineering, (iii), Food production and (iv) Tourism.

In order to reach consensus on one of these priorities, the working group defined nine selection criteria relevant to Jordan’s strategic objectives and tasked the METI team to conduct further analysis:

Export potential

Employment potential (women, youth, SMEs)

Upgrading in the value chain

Product complexity

Diversification of export markets

Sustainability and environmental impact

Working conditions

Probability of automation

Crisis resilience and recovery

The members of the working group agreed to reconvene for their next meeting in early 2023 .

The Policy Working Group is comprised of policy makers from relevant government ministries, specialized national agencies, representatives from the social partners, and civil society organisations. It guides the programme on national level and provides a space for social dialogue and collaboration.