UNDP’s Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support Sarah Poole indicated during a visit to Jordan on April 16th that support for refugees and host communities is set to continue as a priority in the new UNDP Country programme 2018-2022.
For her part, UNDP Jordan Country Director Sara Ferrer Olivella announced that UNDP Jordan has successfully delivered US$75M worth development projects that were implemented across the Kingdom in cooperation with local and international organizations and with the support of international funding partners.
1.9 million people benefitted from UNDP Jordan’s improved municipal infrastructure and basic services projects up until the end of 2017, out of which 300,000 are Syrian refugees, and 41,000 persons benefitted from improved livelihoods and job creation interventions.
“The new UNDP Country programme 2018-2022 will focus on addressing the exclusion and marginalisation of the poorest groups in Jordan,” Olivella said.
Several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed during the visit, including MoU with Zain Telecom to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Jordan, and another with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to provide a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the two Parties in areas of common interest.
“UNDP is at the heart of the UN’s work on sustainable development and a leader for the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which demonstrate the scale and ambition of the action plan for people, planet and prosperity (the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development). We commend the work of institutional actors in including the global development vision in their national framework. Achieving the SDGs requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations,” Olivella concluded.