Factsheet on the 2030 Agenda in Jordan

I.  Background

 

Statistical Country Profile SDG Country Profile Stimulus Tracker

 

II.  Planning and implementation – institutions and processes

SDG institutional framework

As per its first national voluntary national review (VNR) report, Jordan did not develop a new institutional framework for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but rather built on and further refined existing frameworks and mechanisms.

The key strategic planning document entitled Jordan 2025: A National Vision and Strategy, launched in May 2015[1] and developed with the engagement of main group organizations (MGOs), had already accounted for the three dimensions of sustainable development. The Vision is based on the principles of advancing equality of opportunity and engagement in decision-making, promoting the rule of law, building institutional capacity, and ensuring public finance sustainability. The document contains 200 priority initiatives for addressing the national development goals set for the period.

The Executive Development Programme (EDP) 2016-2019[2] under implementation during the presentation of the Jordanian VNR translates the Jordan 2025 National Vision and Strategy into actionable and measurable development programmes, and links to national sectoral development plans and strategies under the National Vision and Strategy. The 2016-2019 EDP covers 26 development sectors and 2,126 projects with 600 measurable performance indicators, including a large proportion of Tier I SDG indicators. It was noted in the VNR that future EDPs would contain all Tier I indicators, as well as Tier II and III indicators for which data becomes available or calculation methodologies are determined.

Governorate development programmes with outputs included in the national EDP were also developed for the 12 governorates and respond to national priorities and challenges at the subnational level. These programmes should advance decentralization and help local councils mainstream the SDGs into development plans.

The Government has recently developed an Indicative Executive Programme 2021-2024 to support economic recovery. It aims to further strengthen the rule of law and fighting corruption, support the transition to a digital and green economy, increase investment in productive sectors, enhance infrastructure and social services, and promote employment and combat poverty.

The Jordan Response Plan (JRP) for the Syria Crisis 2017-2019, complements the national EDP. The Government has prepared a new JRP for 2020-2022, expected to result in a more effective response and to improve monitoring.[3]

The Economic Growth Plan (2018-2022), with outputs integrated in the national EDP aims “to recapture the growth momentum”[4] and support the achievement of the Jordan 2025 Vision targets.

Other national plans and strategies with outputs integrated in the national EDP have also been developed, providing an enabling policy environment for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. A selected list of the plans and strategies can be located on the Arab National Development Planning Portal.

A roadmap was developed for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and presented in March 2016 at a national consultation involving participants from government and MGOs to ensure ownership. The understanding was that the roadmap would be elaborated into a national workplan on SDG implementation and monitoring, and periodically reviewed and adjusted. It underlines several aspects including the following:

  • Raising awareness of the 2030 Agenda; Mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals, targets and indicators in the Jordan Vision 2025, EDPs, and subnational plans (initially in two governates to be expanded to all governates);
  • The extent to which progress has been made to further integrate the principles, goals, targets and indicators of the 2030 Agenda into national planning frameworks, and to turn the roadmap into a workplan and operationalize national and sectoral development plans is to be examined. In its 2018 report, [5] the Audit Bureau of Jordan provided recommendations to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on the need to better align EDP goals and indicators with the 2030 Agenda; to link the strategic plans of ministries and government departments to the SDGs and prepare adequate operational plans for their implementation; and to clearly define the responsibilities of the different ministries in the implementation of common goals.
  • Enhancing statistical systems and data quality, availability and disaggregation;
  • Costing SDGs and financing their implementation;
  • Developing a national monitoring system by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, and a monitoring dashboard to be made available on the Ministry’s website;
  • Promoting greater engagement of the private sector and MGOs in SDG planning, implementation and monitoring processes.
Leadership, engagement and buy-in

The Higher National Committee for Sustainable Development, established in 2002 to coordinate national preparations for the Johannesburg Summit, was restructured in 2005.[6] This Committee was eventually tasked to oversee and follow-up on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In March 2017, its membership was expanded to include wider government and civil society participation to increase alignment with the 2030 Agenda.[7] Representatives from two civil society alliances, the Jordanian National Alliance for Sustainable Development and the Coordination Commission of Civil Society Organizations, were included in the Committee.[8]

The functions of the Committee include supporting the identification of national priorities; ensuring the mainstreaming of the 2030 Agenda into national and sectoral strategies and plans; overseeing the process of preparing progress reports on sustainable development; approving EDPs to be forwarded to the Higher Steering Committee[9] for endorsement; forming working groups as needed; and recommending the development of legislation commensurate with sustainable development needs or the amendment of existing legislation. The National Committee has a Coordination Committee under it and 18 working groups.

The working groups develop EDPs. They are responsible for identifying medium and long-term priorities by sector and commensurate objectives, policies, programmes, projects, results-based performance indicators and the necessary funding requirements. To ensure better alignment with the SDGs, two additional working groups on “gender equality” and “human rights and freedom of expression” were created. Their members also support the work of other working groups to help achieve greater interlinkages and complementarities. Representatives from the private sector and civil society organizations participate in all the working groups.[10]

Figure 1. Institutional structure for 2030 Agenda implementation

Source: Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First National Voluntary Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda, 2017.

The engagement of stakeholders as identified in the VNR is flagged under the different sections of the profile. The roadmap also emphasizes the need for greater engagement of stakeholders. Whether or not mechanisms and processes to further advance the engagement of different stakeholders have been well elaborated in the post-VNR phase is to be examined. One of the consulted articles noted the limited involvement of civil society organizations in development efforts in Jordan, and the need to create an enabling environment for greater cooperation between government entities, parliamentarians, civil society organizations and private sector organizations.[11]

The Audit Bureau of Jordan has undertaken an SDG preparedness audit in 2018, reviewing the integration of the 2030 Agenda into national planning, the institutional framework for its implementation and follow-up and review, and existing policy coherence mechanisms and means of implementation. The extent to which the findings and recommendations of the audit were acted upon, the frequency and mechanism used for follow-up on their implementation, and how much they will inform the preparations for the upcoming VNR (benefit the assessment of progress in implementation and the preparation of the next steps) are to be determined.

The level of engagement of the Parliament (in terms of supporting the enactment of SDG-relevant legislation and monitoring their implementation, conducting budgetary oversight, integrating the SDG principles into the work of parliamentary committees, including through engaging in meaningful and participatory consultation and dialogue with different stakeholder groups, etc.) and existing engagement mechanisms are to be further researched.

Regarding evidence of buy-in by line ministries, local actors and non-government stakeholders, it is difficult to provide a concrete answer with the information at hand. However, it is worth noting the commitment of few private sector companies in Jordan to support the achievement of the SDGs, articulated in their reporting to the United Nations Global Compact on each SDG.[12]  

Coordination mechanisms

The Coordination Committee oversees and manages the preparation of EDPs, the mainstreaming of the 2030 Agenda’s components into national plans and strategies, and the communication and collaboration between the 18 working groups. The Committee also reviews and endorses outputs delivered by the working groups, including monitoring reports and indicators prior to presenting them to the Higher National Committee for Sustainable Development. It is led by the Director-General of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and includes various stakeholders as members in addition to line ministries.[13]

The Coordinating Secretariat is housed in the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation,[14] which is the focal point for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

In the VNR, Jordan pledges to strengthen coordination at all levels. The extent to which coordination mechanisms are operational or have been enhanced is worth looking into. The 2018 report of the Audit Bureau of Jordan includes recommendations to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on the need to clearly distribute the implementation of the 2030 Agenda between various government entities; to put in place efficient mechanisms for coordination between entities and for follow-up on implementation; and to activate the role of the working groups in coordination and follow-up. The report also includes an observation on the frequency of meetings of the Higher National Committee for Sustainable Development, which has met only twice since 2016.[15]

Figure 2. Percentage of Tier I indicators/Goals with available baselines

 

Source: Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First National Voluntary Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda, 2017.

 

III.  Follow-up and review

Data collection, availability and accessibility

In terms of data availability, the VNR indicates that 40 per cent of Tier I indicators are accounted for in national plans and strategies, ranging from 0 and 14 per cent for SDG 14 and SDG 15, respectively, to 67 per cent for SDG7. Data sources, baselines and targets, and frequency of collection for the majority of Tier I indicators have also been identified.

The country has not yet developed a dashboard, although it committed itself to doing so in its 2017 VNR. On the website of the Department of Statistics, there is an information page on the SDGs including an "information bank" corner.

Voluntary National Reviews and/or national SDG reporting

Jordan prepared its first VNR in 2017. The VNR report follows a thematic approach focused on the five dimensions of the 2030 Agenda, namely people, prosperity, planet, partnership and peace (the 5Ps). The preparatory process for the VNR, under the leadership of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, was participatory.[16] Extensive consultations in the form of meetings and workshops were not only limited to ministries, but also involved a large group of stakeholders, including local councils and committees, parliamentarians, workers’ unions, civil society organizations, volunteer involving organizations, the private sector, academia, and science and technology communities.[17] The national delegation to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development also included civil society representatives.[18] Jordan will be presenting its second VNR at the 2022 High-level Political Forum.

Voluntary Local Reviews and/or subnational SDG reporting

Since 2020, UN-Habitat has been providing VLR support to the city of Amman.[19] The Amman Urban Observatory of the Greater Amman Municipality is working with detailed micro-level indicators, though above the neighbourhood level, and is engaging different local actors, including academia in the process. The aim is to develop a VLR that is “compatible with the VNR” for better coordination and implementation of the SDGs.[20]It would be interesting to see how much the VLR will inform the VNR 2022 preparations and report.

Monitoring and evaluation

The roadmap notes several elements related to enhancing statistical capacity and monitoring and evaluation systems, including the following:

The provision of technical assistance to the Department of Statistics and related institutions to harmonize indicator methodologies with international standards; identify data gaps and enhance the availability of missing data; determine baselines and targets for all indicators; improve data quality assurance; and enhance coordination efforts in producing data; Strengthening of monitoring and evaluation systems by developing a national monitoring system with a dashboard on SDG indicators; preparing periodic progress reports; encouraging innovative pilot initiatives to cover data gaps; and promoting the active engagement of citizens, academia and civil society organizations in the implementation and monitoring of SDGs.[21]

Although the roadmap underscores the need to enhance statistical as well as monitoring and evaluation systems, no concrete steps have been taken by the Government to operationalize these requirements.[22] In addition to its recommendation to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation to build the dashboard and to make it available on the Ministry’s website, the Audit Bureau of Jordan in its 2018 report also recommended that the Ministry put in place accountability arrangements and measures for SDG implementation; support finding appropriate solutions to fill existing data gaps; and speed up the development of a national monitoring system.

 

IV.  Initiatives implemented in support of the 2030 Agenda, persisting gaps and challenges

SDG acceleration actions[23] and good practices[24] 
Key challenges to SDG implementation and progress, as identified by the Government

  • The influx of Syrian refugees, increasing the pressure on already scarce water resources, infrastructure and services and the incidence of child labour, and exacerbating pre-existing challenges such as poverty, inclusive growth, decent employment, women and youth unemployment and gender inequality;

  • Regional instabilities, adversely impacting foreign trade and exports;

  • Increased budget deficit and public debt, and declines in government revenues and public expenditure, necessitating a steady flow of development funding from the international community to deliver on the 2030 Agenda;

  • Difficulty in providing adequate development infrastructure and infrastructure maintenance, and the need for greater funding to support government endeavours in that regard;

  • Lack of adequate skills underlining the need for capacity-building of personnel in line ministries and local authorities, and of the national statistical system and MGOs;

  • Duplication of efforts between government and private sector institutions to be addressed through enhanced coordination between them.[25]

 

Endnotes

[1]    https://aawsat.com/home/article/357946/عمان-تطلق-وثيقة-«رؤية-الأردن-2025»-لتحديد-الإطار-العام-للسياسات-الاقتصادية

[2]    EDPs are successive and extend between three or four years.

[3]    Supporting the future of Syria and the region, Brussels III Conference 12-14 March 2019.

[4]    Jordan Economic Growth Plan 2018-2022.

[5]    Audit Bureau of Jordan 2018 Report, pages 151 and 152. Available at http://ab.gov.jo/Ar/List/التقارير_السنوية

[6]    Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation 2016: “Implementing the 2030 Agenda Through Policy Innovation and Integration”.

[7]    Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First VNR on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda (2017).

[8]    Jordan: Pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals – Strengthening Protections and Ensuring Inclusion. Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, 2017.

[9]    The Prime Minister is the head of the Higher Steering Committee. Final endorsement of key strategic planning document, EDPs and associated operational plans lies with this Committee.

[10]    Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First VNR on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda (2017).

[11]    Jordan: Pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals – Strengthening Protections and Ensuring Inclusion. Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, 2017.

[12]    The UN Global Compact website.

[13]    Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First VNR on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda (2017).

[14]    Presentation titled Stakeholders Engagement Strategy to the Expert Group Meeting on Enhancing MGoS Engagement in National Level Review (Bogota, 25-26 March 2017).

[15]    Audit Bureau of Jordan 2018 Report, pages 151 and 152.

[16]    The process was led by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, with the strategic guidance and supervision of the Higher National Committee on Sustainable Development.

[17]    Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First VNR on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda (2017), p. 21.

[18]    The Jordan Times, 22 July 2017, “Jordanian Delegation Concludes UN Visit”.

[19]    UNHABITAT (2021). Guidelines for Voluntary Local Reviews Volume 2 - Towards a New Generation of VLRs: Exploring the Local-National Link.

[20]    Report of the Expert Group Meeting “Towards a new generation of voluntary local reviews: connecting VLRs and VNRs “ (February 23rd & 24th, 2021). Available at : https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2021/04/report_egm_vlr_vnr.pdf

[21]    Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First VNR on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda (2017).

[22]    Stumbling in moving forward on the track of sustainable development in Jordan. Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies, 2019. Available at http://www.socialwatch.org/node/18291

[23]    SDGs Knowledge Platform.

[24]    https://sdgs.un.org/partnerships/good-practices

[25]   Jordan’s Way to Sustainable Development: First VNR on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda (2017).

 

Jordan