UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Isaczai’s Speech at the National Workshop for the Cooperation Framework 2023-27 in Jordan

Your Excellency Marwan Al-Rifaie,

Distinguished colleagues,

يَسّرني أن أُرَحِب بِكُم جميعاً وأشكُركُم على تواجِدِكُم معنا اليوم في هذا اللقاء الذي يأتي تأكيداً على الشراكةِ المستدامة بين فريق الأمم المتحدة القُطري وحكومة المملكةِ الأرُدنيةِ الهاشمية للوصول معاً إلى المُخرجات التي نَصبُو إلى تحقيقها ضمن إطار عملِ الأمم المتحدة للتعاون في مجال التنميةِ المستدامة للأعوام الخمسة المقبلة (2023-2027).

كما تعلمون، وهو ما نؤكِد عليهِ دَوْمَاً، فإن أواصِرالتعاون بين الأردن والأمم المتحدة راسخة و تَستَنِد إلى قيم ومبادئ ميثاق الأمم المتحدة كما ويبقى العمل على تسريع تنفيذ أهداف التنمية المستدامة، وعدم إهمال أحد، هدفُنا المشترك و المحرك الأساسي لتعاوننا.

جميعُنا مُدرِكون للتحديات التي أثّرَت مُؤخراً على المُكتَسَبات التنموية التي حَقَقها الأردن كما في مختلف دول العالم بِدءا من كوفيد-19 مُروراً بِالآثار الاقتصاديةِ الناجِمةِ عنها و الأزمةِ المناخية وتَبَعَاتِها على الأمن الغذائي والمياه وغيرها.

على الرغم من تِلك التحديات فقد ِالتَزَمَت منظومة الأمم المتحدة في الأردن بالتعاون مع الحكومة الأردنية بِشأن التقدم في تحقيق الخُططِ التنموية بِهدف دفع وتسريع الالتزامات المشتركةِ نحو تحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة ضمن رؤية الأردن 2025، و مصفوفةِ الإصلاح في الأردن، إضافةً إلى “الاجندة المشتركة” للأمين العام للأمم المتحدة بشأن مستقبل التعاون العالمي وتعزيز تَعَدُدِيَةِ الأطراف على أُسُسٍ تقوم على الشمول والتواصل والفعالية.

وفي هذا الِسياق، أطلقنا في العام الماضي المشاورات الموسعة مع مختلف القطاعات، وتم تنفيذ عدد من المراحل التي أثمَرَت عن العديد من الرؤى القطاعية والاستراتيجية لِبلَوَرة مُخرجات إطار التعاون للأعوام 2023-2027.

واليوم يأتي هذا اللقاء رفيع المستوى لِعرض تلك المُخرجات والاستماع لملاحظاتكم حول مَصفُوفَةِ نتائج ومخرجات إطار التعاون الجديد، ولِتأكيد توافق تلك المخرجات وتوجيه مساهمات الأمم المتحدة لِلتكامل مع أولويات الحكومةِ التَنمَوية ودفع رؤية الأردن لِلتنمية المستدامة 2030.

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Dear Participants,

2030 is just around the corner and unless bold decisions and accelerated actions are taken, achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals will be difficult - not only in Jordan but across the world.

So, what needs to be done.

We need to clearly identify the remaining challenges, opportunities, and accelerators to make meaningful progress towards achieving the goals.

The Voluntary National Review (VNR) process, which is currently underway, should guide us in prioritization of the goals and identification of national and sub-national indicators to measure Jordan’s progress in the realization of the SDGs in the next eight years. 

Our next Cooperation Framework is equally an opportunity to reposition the UN system in Jordan to provide substantive policy and institutional support leveraging the technical capacities, knowledge, and experiences of its more than 20 agencies currently operating in the country.   

Our repositioning also implies that we look at the lessons we have learned learn from our past experiences and what we can do differently to assist Jordan in its development trajectory.

The evaluation of the current Cooperation Framework, the UN system-wide evaluation on COVID-19 response and consultations with partners provided the following assessment of UNs work in Jordan in the past 4 years.

• the UN has demonstrated a real commitment to more joined-up initiatives and operational alignment in key areas, particularly with regards to the support to refugees.
• That there were tangible efforts to link humanitarian responses and systems with the UN’s development work, notably by integrating refugees in national health and education systems.

It is widely acknowledged that more opportunities to leverage the UN’s humanitarian work for greater development and peace impact should be further exploited.

• UN response to Covid-19 was highlighted as a genuine commitment, in words and deeds, to the Leave No One Behind principle, for example through its support for the expansion of the National Aid Fund to reach people living in the most vulnerable situations, and its advocacy for the inclusion of the needs of the most disadvantaged in a range of policies, strategies, and responses.

On the other hand,  the evaluation called for a clear articulation of theory of change and joined up approaches in pursuit of common objectives, stronger linkages between normative support and implementation and more attention to critical national challenges, notably the ‘impending water crisis’ and Jordan’s growing economic vulnerabilities.

On these issues and others, several partners expressed a desire to see the UN exercise more thought-leadership and support the country with evidence, options, and a space for dialogue between the state and all segments of society.

Overall, evaluation concluded that the UN’s development approach currently lacks a transformative thrust and ambition, notably in the areas of economic growth and institutional strengthening.

Learning from these lessons and appreciating a new and a more complex socio-economic and political context exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19 and impending Ukraine crisis, the UN has no choice but to remain agile and responsive to Jordan’s needs.

The UN is committed to expanding its support to the country’s growth, by providing support to growth policies and strategies, financing pathways, that reduce exclusion, strengthen the rights and self-reliance opportunities of the most vulnerable including refugees, addressing water scarcity, ensuring food security and access to clean energy.

The UN’s commitment also includes a focus on strengthening the links between institutions and populations, as an enabler of the success and sustainability of the first three priorities.

And today, I look forward to a frank exchange on our joint journey ahead.

Now more than ever we need a holistic approach to human development – to create the space to address structural issues, support innovative policies that work for all, build the institutional will for ongoing adaptation in a fast-changing world, and ensure civic space and meaningful participation as a vital foundation for sound public policies and decision-making.

I wish us all a productive day!

Thank you.