Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Jordan: Where Are We Now?

Jordan faces dire environmental challenges and is ranked the second most water-scarce country in the world. An already difficult situation is being exacerbated by a high influx of refugees and the effects of climate change. Jordan is also one of the few energy resource-poor countries in West Asia. Implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could halt Jordan’s social and environmental degradation, but how far along are we in the process?

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC) is responsible for mobilising for the implementation of the SDGs in Jordan, as well as monitoring and evaluating the process. It was also tasked with producing the Voluntary National Review (VNR) report, which they presented to the High-level Political Forum at the United Nations in July.

The VNR is a voluntary report which countries choose to produce at their convenience. In 2015, 22 countries produced their VNR. This year, Jordan is part of over 40 countries to do so. The report details the country’s way forward towards sustainable development. It also seeks to strengthen policy and government institutions in order to facilitate multi-stakeholder partnerships for the implementation of the SDGs.

MoPIC produced the VNR for Jordan following an engagement process, yet their VNR engagement plan lacks one crucial step; reflection. MoPIC has indeed met with different stakeholders since the beginning of the year, presenting their plan and receiving feedback. However, reflecting on the VNR after its production with civil society has not been a priority.

Gap between Government and Stakeholders

For Jordan, the SDGs are particularly important as they seek to engage not only the international, but also the national level. This change in approach is vital as international actors have long dominated sustainable development.

Many donor agencies and international governments have previously funded and invested in what they thought were priorities for Jordan. The SDGs, however, allow Jordan to determine its own national priorities, yet this requires enhanced cooperation both between government and implementing organisations, as well as between different government agencies.

Not sharing the final version of the VNR with civil society and the private sector, only creates a gap between the government and the implementing organisations, further pushing them to work in silo. Civil society organisations could be truly engaged in achieving the SDGs, yet most suffer from a lack of capacity and knowledge about the prepared VNR and its accountability.

Moreover, stakeholder interviews conducted by the West Asia – North Africa (WANA) Institute  have shown that the Ministries of Water, Energy, and Environment have tried to align their new strategies with SDG targets, yet no specific unit has been assigned to take charge of the implementation process.

In Need of a Culture of Multidisciplinary Thinking

At the WANA Institute, we want to provide guidance on how to tackle challenges associated with inter-sectorial SDG targets, in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). Our focus is on three goals that speak directly to pressing challenges in Jordan’s environmental development: SDG 6, 7, and 13.

Creating momentum to move forward and help align stakeholders has proven harder than originally thought. While conducting stakeholder interviews, it became apparent that civil society and government stakeholders sometimes struggle to understand the need for implementing the SDG agenda, since their strategies already aim to tackle the same issues, especially regarding water scarcity and renewable energy. Knowingly or not, many stakeholders in Jordan also implement SDG-related projects in silo, making it harder to follow-up with progress. Stakeholder implementation plans even overlap on some issues, leaving gaps in the SDG implementation.

What we need today, is to resist the tendency to think and operate in silo and instead promote a culture of multidisciplinary thinking and problem-solving. Implementing the SDGs requires a multi-sectoral approach that considers the environmental, social and economic dimensions of a system, further facilitating a holistic approach to other contemporary challenges.

Countries like Jordan, facing severe and chronic water and energy scarcity, need an evidence-based and enforceable policy framework. Action plans must take into account the cross-cutting nature of water and energy in sectors like tourism, agriculture, industry, and health.

After submitting the VNR, Jordan should now work hard to turn these plans into action while considering the interlinkages of the SDGs and engaging all stakeholders. If we succeed in doing so, together as a nation, we will help build resilience at a time in which we need it the most.