Jordan

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Thematic Focus
• Progress on Aid Effectiveness
• Achievements

Overview

Jordan is a middle-income country that has remained peaceful and stable for nearly four decades despite regional conflict and instability. It is a leader in facilitating peaceful solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Jordan ranks 95 out of 187 countries on the United Nations Development Programme's 2010 human development index (PDF, 95 KB, 5 pages). It is on track to meet Millennium Development Goals on education and gender equality although women's participation in employment, public and political life remains low. Jordan has made improvements in health and poverty reduction.

However, sustainable economic growth remains a challenge. Unemployment, especially among youth, is growing. More than 70 percent of Jordanians are under the age of 30. The International Labour Organization estimates that only 20 percent of those aged 15 to 24 are employed.

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. The World Bank ranks Jordan as being the least corrupt in all of the low and middle-income countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Jordan's relatively secure environment makes it a hub for the delivery of Canada's programs in the Middle East—it plays a critical role in supporting the West Bank and Gaza and regional programs.

Thematic Focus

CIDA's programming in Jordan is closely aligned with Jordan's priorities of economic development, public sector reform and modernization of the education system, as outlined in Jordan's National Agenda.

The goal of CIDA's program in Jordan is to secure a future for children and youth and stimulate sustainable economic growth. CIDA is helping Jordan to increase education and employment opportunities for a young and rapidly growing population and to improve competitiveness in the private sector in order to reduce poverty and create employment.

Children and youth

CIDA focuses on improving the quality of education and employment programs in Jordan to help increase the number of skilled women and men who meet the country's economic and social development needs. CIDA provides technical assistance and training to the Ministry of Education to improve policy-making, teaching, learning and instructional materials.

Economic growth

CIDA focuses on improving skills for employment by providing technical assistance and training to selected training institutions. CIDA is also helping to establish new governance structures and supporting reform activities that advance equality between women and men and empower women.

Progress on Aid Effectiveness

Jordan adheres to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (PDF, 317 KB, 23 pages) and, according to the OECD 2008 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration (PDF, 155 KB, 16 pages), is ranked high for its level of government ownership; it is ranked more modestly for donor alignment and harmonization and for managing for results.

Jordan's development objectives are outlined in the National Agenda and the Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy initiative. The Government of Jordan is eager to improve accountability and efficiency in public institutions.

Canada chairs the Donor Lender Coordination Group on education and skills for employment and is actively involved in policy dialogue with the Government of Jordan in this sector.

Achievements 2009-2010

Children and youth

• Trained more than 140 school leaders and 66 community-based education councils, involving more than 600 community members, now participating in school development
• Trained 64 supervisors and government staff in mentoring/coaching—an effective, low-cost method for helping principals and teachers implement their school improvement plans
• Trained more than 800 teachers and 1,000 students and parents to use the new decentralized and participatory education model and some 766 schools in 6 districts are using the new model

Economic growth

• Helped the Government of Jordan develop a new vocational education policy, a new national employment policy, and a plan for reforming the technical and vocational education and training system

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