Jordan

Jordan is a small upper-middle-income country known for its stability in a turbulent region. However, it faces significant socio-economic, environmental and political challenges due to regional instability, the impact of the global financial crisis, the Arab Spring and conflicts in neighbouring countries. Politically, Jordan has a history of monarchical rule combined with attempts at democratic governance. Although political parties are legally recognized, government controls have often stifled political activity, leading to periods of inactivity and recovery.

There have been continuous efforts to deepen democracy, especially after the Arab Spring, with initiatives to improve political representation and reduce authoritarian practices. The Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System was established in 2021 to reform electoral laws and strengthen political parties, aiming for a more dynamic democratic environment.

WFD has been working in Jordan since 2012, when we helped establish the firstparliamentary Legislative Studies and Research Centre (LSRC) within the House of Representatives (HoR). Building on our longstanding relationship, WFD continues to support the HoR to deliver on its priorities. By facilitating access to international, regional and local experts and supporting knowledge exchange between counterparts.

Our programmes

Support to Democratic Reforms (January 2024 – November 2026)

Background

WFD is implementing the ‘Support to Democratic Reforms’ programme in a consortium led by Expertise France (EF), and in cooperation with the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and CFI Développement Médias (CFI). Funded by the European Union, the programme seeks to consolidate the progress achieved by the ‘EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development’ (EU-JDID) programme (2017-2021) and builds on the opportunities arising from the reforms proposed by the Jordanian “Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System”.

Programme objectives

The programme aims to promote a more participatory, inclusive, and accountable democratic process in Jordan through three interconnected outcomes:

Young men and women participate meaningfully in democratic life.
Political parties create an enabling environment for increased participation and responsiveness to diverse groups.
The Jordan House of Representatives (HoR) exercises its core parliamentary functions with greater professionalism, effectiveness, inclusivity, and accountability.

Completed programmes

Strengthening legislative and financial oversight in the Jordanian parliament (October 2021- June 2022)

In recent years, the Jordanian House of Representatives (the Lower House of parliament) has taken steps to improve its legislative and oversight functions. However, parliamentary committees tend to engage in oversight practices erratically rather than as a key component of their work. Oversight of financial matters – including scrutiny of the annual budget – was identified as a key area for strengthening. Funded by the UK Embassy in Jordan under the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), this programme supported the Jordanian House of Representatives (HoR) to play its legislative and oversight role more effectively. Achievements including supporting the HoR Financial Committee to produce its final report on the annual budget and working with the parliament to initiate the process of reviewing legislation using WFD’s post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) methodology.

Status

Completed

Planned end date

June 2022

EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development (2017 - 2021)

The EU-funded Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions and Development (EU-JDID) programme supported Jordan with its political reform process, including through the promotion of inclusive policy and decision-making processes.

Under this programme, WFD upgraded the IT infrastructure of parliament, developed the capacity of parliamentary research staff and parliamentary committees, and supported the parliament to put in place more effective structures and processes to manage its human resources. WFD also worked with the parliamentary blocs system and strengthened the parliament’s outreach to and engagement of women and youth.

Status

Completed

Building the accountability role of the Jordanian Parliament through improving its ability to make evidence-informed decision

Through this programme, funded by the UK’s DFID and FCO, WFD supported the HoR to deliver the first parliament-led induction programme for MPs. We also developed the Legislative Studies and Research Centre within the parliament, ensuring it was equipped to provide MPs with the research and expertise needed to deliver on their roles.

Status

Completed

Supporting parliamentary strengthening and youth leadership in Jordan

This DFID and FCO-funded programme was developed in response to the opportunities for democracy development that arose from the ‘Arab Spring’. Our work focused on supporting young leaders active in Jordan’s political and civic life and engaging with a Jordanian Women MPs Forum to propose amendments to the domestic violence law. We also delivered the first induction training within the Jordanian Parliament, in 2013.

Status

Completed

Key Results

Changed policies on domestic violence

Supported the development of a Jordanian Women MPs Forum and published reports to inform women MPs about domestic violence, leading to the abolishment of the infamous “rape law”—article 308 of the Penal Code

Developed and supported the implementation of an environmental policy

In 2017, the House of Representatives (HoR) of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan adopted a new environmental policy developed by WFD. The changes made by the HoR have led to the reduction of the running costs of the Parliament and increased its efficiency through a move to a paperless system and an electronic time management system

Worked with women MPs in influencing policies

Assisted women MPs in developing a workplan and strategy for the year of 2017 and updated its bylaws. This enabled them to participate more effectively in parliamentary work and influence policies.

Inducted new MPs

Supported the induction of 100 new MPs following the 2016 parliamentary elections. This was the first time an induction had been led by the Parliament itself, taking on board good practice from the UK

Increased communication between the parliament and citizens

Helped closing the gap between MPs and their constituents by supporting the adoption of the e-voting system and the regional youth workshops

Helped establish a parliamentary Research Centre

Fully operational since June 2014, the Jordanian parliament’s research centre has provided an essential service providing Jordanian MPs with the research and expertise that they require to hold the government to account, strengthening parliamentary budgetary oversight of government plans, policies, and budgetary commitments.