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AMMAN – Jordan and the United States recently joined hands to strengthen enforcement of environmental laws and promote responsible stewardship of the environment. In a ceremony Tuesday, USAID Jordan Director Jay Knott presented certificates to officials from the Royal Rangers, the Ministry of Environment, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, the Judiciary, and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature who successfully completed the first Environmental Compliance Inspections Training Workshop. Conducted by specialists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the workshop partnered three U.S. Government agencies, including USAID, the EPA, and the U.S. Department of State’s Environmental Hub Office, with the Ministry of Environment.
In the presence of Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment Eng. Fares Juneidi, Mr. Knott addressed workshop participants on the bilateral commitment to curb negative impacts on the environment through the effective enforcement of environmental laws as stipulated in the bilateral Free Trade Agreement signed in 2000. He added, “You, as inspectors, have an important role to help ensure that regulations are written and implemented in a manner that allows for viable enforcement.”
Drawing on internationally-recognized best practices for environmental inspections and monitoring, the training workshop is part of a larger capacity building program between the Ministry of Environment and its American partners. It builds on a workshop held in late 2007 in which several U.S. Government agencies assisted the Royal Rangers in developing a draft environmental strategy. Under the program, several officials travelled to the U.S. last October to share knowledge and best practices in enforcing environmental laws.
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