The first joint Steering Committee meeting for the Heart of Amman Programme took place on Thursday the 28th of January. The meeting was chaired by UNDP’s Resident Representative, Sara Olivella and was attended by the Ambassador of Japan, H.E Kaoru Shimazaki, the Ambassador of Italy, H.E Fabio Casses, the City Manager at Greater Amman Municipality, H.E Ahmad Malkawi, the Head of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation Mr. Michele Norana, the Advisor to the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Dr. Nael Al Adwan as well as Deputy City Manager, Mr. Hatem Hamlan.

The HoA – Programme follows an integrated approach with the overarching objective of creating pathways towards sustainable livelihoods of vulnerable Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi women, men and youth in host communities in the downtown of Amman and its neighbouring districts through an integrated and inclusive approach whilst addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities at the level of individuals, communities and institutions and eco-systems.

Steering committee members expressed their gratitude to the Government of Japan and the Government of Italy for their continued support to Jordan. All members emphasized their commitment to improving socio-economic conditions in Downtown Amman and surrounding neighbourhoods through building the resilience of marginalized communities, supporting entrepreneurship and enhancing social cohesion and social safety nets.

Members agreed that the COVID-19 crisis had a detrimental effect on the most vulnerable communities and has added a sense of urgency to tackle the root causes of vulnerability and fragility. Steering Committee members acknowledged the important contribution of the Heart of Amman Programme in addressing those vulnerabilities and improving opportunities for economic and labour market integration.

Members highlighted the importance of building synergies and partnerships between public and private institutions to improve the efficiency and impact of the Programme.