In December of 1995, Princess Basma established the Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW).

The Forum grew out of the mobilization efforts of the voluntary committees of women, set up in 1993 to sensitise local communities to the National Strategy.

Chaired by Her Royal Highness, JNFW is the most wide-spread grassroots women′s movement in the Kingdom, advocating for women′s rights and increased women′s participation in decision-making processes.

Much of JNFW’s strength lies in the diverse economic, social and cultural backgrounds of the women that are involved in the JNFW; this accurate representation of women assists in molding the forum’s activities to suit women’s real needs and aspirations.

Motivating women to integrate in the process of building the future of Jordan is the Forum’s main mission, this cadre of women actively promotes women contributing to the economy and taking key decision making positions.

JNFW works to realize these goals through spreading awareness about the National Strategy for Women, while offering effective training and capacity building programmes that are designed to cater to the needs of women while taking into consideration the different areas in which they live.

The forum specifically targets women who are marginalized economically, politically and socially, whilst seeking to empower them to engage in public life.

The activities are managed through local offices and concentrate in rural and remote areas in all of the 12 governorates of Jordan, urban areas are also included.

Educational programmes are divided into categories that include: leadership and vocational training, empowerment and political education whereas awareness programmes include the legislative, economic, social, environmental and educational fields.

The programmes also work to strengthen the capacity of women candidates and advocates for women to be elected in municipal councils. Efforts along these lines led to the success of 211 women out of 929 municipal councillors in the Municipal Elections in 2007.