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Ammon News - A ground breaking ceremony for two female accommodation buildings for female soldiers serving in Northern and Central regions in Jordan was held on Monday.

Canada’s Ambassador to Jordan Donica Pottie, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) official Brigadier General Timothy Arsenault, Commander Joint Task Force - IMPACT (JTF-I), joined Jordanian Brigadier General Abdullah Huneti and Brigadier General Nasser Manaseer for the ceremony, according to a Canadian embassy statement.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is implementing the project on behalf of the Canadian government.

The over $6 million venture will see the construction of two new buildings as part of a priority request from the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) senior leadership, who view infrastructure as the largest obstacle to gender integration in the armed forces, the statement said.

The project signals Canada’s continued commitment to Jordan’s stability, while supporting United Nations Security Council resolutions #1325 on women, peace and security, read the statement.

This initiative is just one of a broader Canadian Middle East engagement strategy to address the crises caused by Daesh in the region by supporting humanitarian, development, stabilisation and security efforts. This project was also delivered in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada’s Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Programme as a whole government strategy.

During the ceremony, the Canadian Ambassador noted: “We recognise that gender integration is not a one-size-fits-all approach. We may all have different starting points, but what is most important is that we are moving forward towards this common goal. Studies have consistently shown that bringing more voices to the table and taking a more inclusive approach to conflict resolution, results in a longer-lasting and more sustainable peace.”

Arsenault said: “The Canadian Armed Forces are very proud of their partnership with the Jordanian Armed Forces, particularly with the Female Engagement Team, the Gender Integration Seminar and, very soon, the Military Women’s Training Centre. The construction of female accommodations buildings is the next step towards the continued integration of women in some of the JAF’s operational units.”

Huneiti stated: “As JAF has launched its Military Gender Streaming Strategy recently, this event, today, is a part of the material solutions needed to implement it.”

“This initiative is to address the key obstacle of gender integration in Jordan Armed Forces, and the project will play a very important role in increasing female officers’ participation in JAF’s operation,” said Tajma Kurt, chief of mission of IOM Jordan.