UNESCO and partners launch a project to promote sustainable socio-economic development in Petra

The UNESCO Amman office and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), hosted a launch event in Petra, commemorating the initiation of a new project. The “Employment opportunities for cultural heritage safeguarding in Jordan” project seeks to promote sustainable socio-economic development through a two-pronged approach, focusing on investing in cultural heritage preservation, while also creating short-term decent job opportunities. 

The event took place at the College of Tourism and Archaeology at the Al Hussein Bin Talal University in Petra. Addressing the audience, H.E Eng. Majed Hasanat, Park Commissioner of Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority delivered opening remarks reaffirming the commitment of the Authority to collaborate with partners to achieve the collective objectives, aligned with the strategic outlook adopted for the tourism sector development in Petra. H.E Hasanat emphasized the global significance of the World Heritage Site, recognizing its cultural importance and natural beauty and highlighting the economic development targets set for surrounding local communities.

The project provides short-term employment opportunities to vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees living in host communities located in the vicinity of the Petra World Heritage site and Rihab village. These locations in North and South Jordan are rich in archaeological heritage. On-the-job training will be provided to the CfW beneficiaries, improving their future employability.

Delivering welcoming remarks on behalf of UNESCO, Ms. Cristina Menegazzi, recognized the generous support of GIZ and summarized the impact of the initiative. “By promoting greater community engagement in the rehabilitation and conservation of the heritage sites in Jordan through this initiative, UNESCO aims to encourage local ownership of these sites. As a further benefit, the project aims to ensure that a larger section of the local community benefits from revenue generated by tourism”.

Mr. Aladdin Alhiyasat of Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, spoke on behalf of GIZ, thanking partners and beneficiaries for their strong engagement. The project is part of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (BMZ) Special Initiative ‘Tackling the root causes of migration, stabilizing host regions, supporting refugees.’ The project will contribute to the employment of refugees and people in need from the host communities, while promoting social cohesion and sustainable development in the region.

UNESCO is implementing this critical project alongside AVSI, a non-profit organization carrying out development and humanitarian projects throughout the world, with experience in Cash for Work project implementation. The German Jordanian University has developed the Site Maintenance and Tourism Development Plan (SMTDP) for the World Heritage site of Petra. This initiative benefits from the strong technical support provided by the Department of Antiquities. In Petra, the project will undertake cleaning of the two upper sides of the Siq’, together with two trails that are targeted for rehabilitation: the Unayshu trail and the back trail from Little Petra to the Monastery.