Refugee crisis puts Jordan sustainability goals under strain

Jordan

Published: 2017-07-20 12:42

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 07:53


Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury has presented Jordan’s National Voluntary Review Report on the Sustainable Developmen
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury has presented Jordan’s National Voluntary Review Report on the Sustainable Developmen

Jordan is unable to independently achieve comprehensive and sustainable economic, social and environmental development, as a result of strain from regional conflict and the refugee crisis on Jordan’s infrastructure and services, according to Imad Fakhoury, the Kingdom’s Planning and International Cooperation Minister.

The findings came from Jordan’s National Voluntary Review Report on the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York, and was presented by Fakhoury, who is also the chairman of the Higher National Committee for Sustainable Development.

On September 25th 2015, Jordan and several other countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.

The minister called for the provision of continuous and medium term financial and technical support to Jordan, to protect the development goals in the Kingdom, and to ensure Jordan's prosperity and resilience in the face of an unpredictable future.

In light of Jordan's hosting of refugees on behalf of the international community, Fakhoury emphaised that international support must be expanded. He called upon the donor countries to fulfil the commitments stipulated in the Jordan Compact adopted at the London Conference in 2016 and the Jordan Output Document adopted in Brussels in 2017 to fund the Jordan Response Plan (JRP).

Jordan is working on tapping into and leveraging traditional and non-traditional sources of finances including: ODA, public and private, PPPs, Islamic financing, as well as sub-national, national and global finance to support long-term investments needed for the new sustainable development agenda, said Fakhoury.

Despite the challenges, the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation emphasised that the 2030 plan is one of Jordan’s top priorities and the Kingdom is determined to move forward in achieving the goals to ensure the wellbeing of its citizens.