Minister of Youth inspects progress of the National Youth Survey 2025 in Balqa Youth Center and, together with the Irish Ambassador, reviews youth programmes at Al-Arda Youth Center

Balqa, 6 December 2025 - During a field visit to Balqa Governorate today (Saturday), Minister of Youth Dr. Raed Sami Al-Adwan reviewed the implementation of the National Youth Survey 2025, carried out by the Ministry of Youth in partnership with the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, the Department of Statistics, and UNICEF. He was accompanied by the Director-General of the Department of Statistics, Dr. Haidar Fraihat; UNICEF Representative in Jordan, Marc Rubin; Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Dr. Hassan Al-Momani; Deputy Governor Ali Al-Bataineh; and Irish Ambassador Marianne Bolger.
At the Balqa Model Youth Center, the delegation observed a focus group discussion with young people aged 17–30, which explored issues related to education, health, community participation, the environment, and identity.
The visit also included a stop at a nearby quantitative data collection site to follow up on household interview procedures and ensure that the work of field researchers and quality control teams from the Department of Statistics was proceeding as planned.
Dr. Al-Adwan stated that the survey results will provide an updated evidence base to identify youth priorities, inform youth-targeted programmes and policies, assess the current state of youth participation and needs, and enhance their engagement in decision-making—ultimately contributing to the development of the National Youth Strategy 2026–2030.
For his part, Rubin said, “Supporting Jordan in developing policies and programmes grounded in the lived realities of adolescents and youth is one of the core priorities for UNICEF. This survey will provide the Ministry of Youth with a robust and high-quality evidence base to guide more precise and effective future planning. We look forward to supporting the Ministry of Youth and our partners to translate these findings into meaningful action that makes a tangible difference in young people’s lives.”
Dr. Momani added that 25% of the survey has been completed so far, with 3,000 of the targeted sample reached. The survey is expected to conclude by the end of December after reaching a total of 12,000 respondents.
Dr. Al-Adwan continued his tour with a visit to the Al-Arda Youth Center for Boys and Girls, which continued to host the Irish Ambassador Marianne Bolger and UNICEF Representative Marc Rubin for an engagement with young participants involved in life skills and leadership programmes, mental health and psychosocial activities, as well as community participation, volunteerism, and climate action initiatives.
Ambassador Bolger expressed her pleasure in meeting the young people and was briefed on the center’s programmes implemented under its annual plan. She affirmed the Irish government’s commitment to strengthening youth-sector cooperation between Jordan and Ireland.