UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Isaczai at the VNR National Validation Workshop

Your Excellency Marwan Al-Rifaie,

Your Excellencies Secretaries-General,

Distinguished colleagues,

Together with his Excellency Al- Rifaie, I was honoured to open the National Workshop launching the VNR process in Jordan on 26 January. And here we are today, two months later, at this important validation workshop. I would like to commend you all for the hard work done in the different Task Forces to bring together solid reports on the progress and the challenges towards the SDGs for validation over the course of the next two days.

I am pleased to see that so many institutions were part of the VNR process including several Amman-based civil society organizations.  I look forward to seeing next steps in engaging with stakeholders at the regional level and in rolling out and implementing next steps after the VNR is presented at the High-Level Political Forum in New York.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The VNR and its aim to accelerate progress on the SDGs is a unique opportunity to realize the UN Secretary-General Common Agenda. In the words of the Secretary-General “The choices we make — or fail to make — today could result in further breakdown and a future of perpetual crises, or a breakthrough to a better, more sustainable, peaceful future for our people and planet”.  Our Common Agenda is an agenda of action to make a tangible difference in people’s lives. It’s an agenda that calls on us all to Leave No One Behind. To protect our planet. To place women and girls at the centre. To listen to and work with youth. To build a new social contract anchored in human rights. To boost partnerships.

All SDGs are important. But as we move forward, Jordan may need to prioritize and to make strategic choices to ensure efforts, capacity and resources are channelled towards achieving tangible results. I know a roadmap or action plan will be developed based on the VNR findings to follow through the VNR recommendations. That could and should be the tool for future prioritization.

Nationalizing the global 2030 Agenda and set realistic national targets now for the next few years will be critical in this path.  And solid and disaggregated data will be key to underpin this exercise, and provide evidence of the situation of the most disadvantaged and discriminated groups to address inequalities and leave no one behind. We cannot fix what we cannot see.

In this Decade of Action towards 2030, we need to pull all our efforts together to accelerate progress on the SDGs. Identifying accelerators that could trigger such progress is critical. Digital transformation, sustainable financing and inclusion are just some examples. But more can and should be identified.

Distinguished colleagues,

We, the UN Country Team in Jordan, are honoured and humble to accompany Jordan in this VNR process, including by providing technical assistance on gender and human rights mainstreaming, data collection and analysis, media outreach but also by facilitating interaction and coherence between the VNR and the Amman Voluntary Local Review process.

As I speak, the United Nations and the Government of Jordan are jointly defining our new Cooperation Framework for the next five years, from 2023 to 2027. The UN Cooperation Framework is first and foremost a partnership between the Government and the United Nations in Jordan to support national priorities and plans. It is the most important instrument for planning and implementing UN development activities at country level in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It represents our commitment to all people in Jordan, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable, to ensure no one is left behind. It is our main instrument to support policy formulation and implementation through inclusive dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders including civil society and the private sector.

What better opportunity for us to learn from and build on the VNR and VLR processes to inform our future support and align UN’s action behind national goals and priorities?

Distinguished colleagues,

We count on your cooperation and contributions towards the development of the new UN Cooperation Framework for 2023-2027 and hope to see you as well at our consultation with the Government of Jordan next Sunday, 27th of March. We want to engage in a dialogue to hear what you need, how the UN can support Jordan achieving national priorities and to abide by its human rights and other international standards and obligations. And to realize the new 10-year roadmap/vision that is currently being developed under the leadership of the Royal Court.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

“Now is the time to take the next steps in our journey together towards the 2030 Agenda, in solidarity with and for all people”.

“Now is the time to think for the long term, to deliver more for young people and succeeding generations [and women and girls] and to be better prepared for the challenges ahead”.

Now is the time for bold decisions, for the people living in Jordan and for the planet.

Jordan has all the requisites to excel and to lead the way towards the 2030 Agenda in this troubled region. Let’s use this opportunity to do it. The VNR is not an end in itself but a milestone in this journey. And we are all behind supporting it.

I wish us two productive days ahead!

Thank you.