UNDP Jordan Accelerator Lab

We are working to find innovative grassroots solutions to address the developmental issues faced in Jordan to shape a more sustainable and inclusive future.

The UNDP Jordan Accelerator Lab is committed to understanding tourism, youth career choices, and nature-based solutions. We do this by redefining value and impact, understanding the conditions for people that lead them to solve their challenges, thereby making development agendas relevant to local trends and being the interpreters amongst and between those in power and those with fewer resources. Furthermore, we offer technical innovation support to country office teams by employing our methods and tools to gather, analyse, and plan activities that enhance programme initiatives.
 

Tourism is a north star for Jordan Accelerator Lab as we recognise its crucial role in revealing Jordan’s untapped potential. By utilising tourism’s transformative capabilities, we aim to conserve cultural heritage, catalyse economic growth, and generate opportunities for the local communities. Our devotion to this endeavour stems from the belief that the joyful and sustainable tourism sector can promote inclusive development in Jordan. ‘Reveal Madaba’
project is an example of a local solution we mapped and tested to spark enthusiasm among tourists, encouraging them to complete a self-guided tour through engaging with an open-air exhibition and connecting with the providers of local cultural experiences, incentivising them to increase their time and expenditure spent in the city, ultimately generating income for the local community.

More recently, we have dedicated ourselves to tackling environmental challenges through employing innovative nature-based solutions. We have merged these attempts with our tourism work, as demonstrated by the ‘Al Ghada’ project in Wadi Rum. Working with the Al Disi Women’s Cooperative, a women-led community-based organisation, we are working to revive their native plant, “Al Ghada” (Haloxylon persicum), which symbolises the city’s environmental heritage. The emphasis placed on nature-based approaches aims to conserve biodiversity and
reduce the negative impacts of climate change. By collaborating with local communities, we intend to implement and expand initiatives that use nature’s power to advance sustainable development.

We are equally passionate about working with the youth of Jordan as we recognise their integral role in the nation’s sustainable development. Thus, as a part of our dedication to youth empowerment, we actively explore solutions such as career counselling initiatives. We hope to offer skill development and guidance opportunities, guaranteeing that Jordan youth have the necessary tools required to shape prosperous futures that simultaneously contribute to the collective development progress in the country.

Our team