Amman: Jordan took part on Tuesday in the Arab-International Academic Meeting on Green Jobs Cooperation, organized by the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in partnership with the Institute for Tourism Studies in Malta.
According to Jordan News Agency, Akram Rawashdeh, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management at Yarmouk University, presented an overview of tourism education at the university. He highlighted the faculty’s achievements, noting that it is the first tourism college in the region to receive international accreditation from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Rawashdeh emphasized the faculty’s focus on professional training and its efforts to align students with local and international labor markets by enhancing their skills and facilitating employment opportunities within and beyond Jordan.
In the opening session, ALECSO Director-General Mohamed Ould Amar said that the green economy has become a strategic option to balance human development and environmental sustainability. He noted that it demands the creation of new jobs and innovative skill sets aligned with environmental, economic, and social sustainability goals.
“The key question facing Arab youth entering the job market is understanding what green jobs are, where to find them, and what skills they require,” said Ould Amar. He also pointed to the growing interest in green tourism, which brings challenges regarding its principles and feasibility, urging businesses to support this shift by training staff and updating skill sets to meet the sector’s evolving demands.
Mohammad Abu Darwish, Director of Science and Scientific Research at ALECSO, stated that the organization has incorporated several green economy initiatives into its strategic plan for 2023-2028, recognizing the sector’s potential in achieving sustainable development.
The forum brought together 12 universities and institutions from across the Arab world including Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Palestine, Egypt, and Mauritania alongside the Institute for Tourism Studies in Malta. The initiative aims to establish a foundation for Arab-international collaboration in the field of green jobs.