By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - The Department of Statistics (DoS) will start providing the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA) with family-related figures and indicators to help assess family needs in the Kingdom.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on Tuesday at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, DoS and NCFA will exchange statistics on the health, education and socio-economic status of families in Jordan.

NCFA Secretary General Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, who signed the MoU with DoS Director General Ghazi Shbeikat, said the memorandum will help reinforce cooperation between the organizations and provide the council with vital statistical information.

“Based on DoS figures and statistics, the council will be able to evaluate the well-being of families, women and children in the Kingdom,” Abu Ghazaleh told reporters during the signing ceremony yesterday.

She added that the agreement is a continuation of the council’s efforts to collect family-related information. The NCFA launched in early February a national information system for family affairs and guidebooks on local family-related regulations.

The projects seek to provide lawmakers, sociologists and researchers in the field of family-related issues with a solid and accurate background on the sector.

Abu Ghazaleh highlighted the importance of the agreement, noting that the exchange of information will save time and effort and help decision makers form policies based on accurate and comprehensive statistics.

Meanwhile, Shbeikat said his department will provide the council with all information regarding social, economic and political norms affecting families.

“This will also help the council determine issues of priority to families and societies as a whole, paving way for its own database on family affairs,” Shbeikat noted.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali, who was present at the event, underlined the importance of cooperation between public and private institutions in sustainable development.

Established in 2001, the NCFA is a civil society organization that supports, coordinates and facilitates the work in the field of family affairs, according to its website.

The council seeks to contribute to a better quality of life for Jordanian families through a national vision that supports the country's development policies and enables families to realize their aspirations.