On 28 September 2026, the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) convened an internal workshop on “ARDD’s Strategic Approach to Sustainable Livelihoods and Economic Well-being: Understanding Livelihoods in Humanitarian & Development Work.” The workshop brought together ARDD’s programmatic, legal, operational, and research teams, including the Renaissance Strategic Center (RSC), to strengthen an integrated approach linking livelihoods programming, evidence, and policy engagement.
Held under the Future Forward: Unlocking Sustainable Local Opportunities project, supported by the Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP), the workshop examined livelihoods within Jordan’s evolving socio-economic context, including constrained development financing, persistent unemployment, informality, and unequal access to economic opportunities.
Discussions highlighted that sustainable livelihoods require more than short-term income generation. They depend on the wider conditions that shape access to decent work, legal protection, markets, social protection, and economic resilience.
Drawing on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, participants examined the barriers affecting women, youth, refugees, and economically vulnerable communities, while considering how legal empowerment, market-responsive programming, research and policy analysis, and localization can work together to address them.
As Future Forward Project Manager, Lena Halaseh noted:
“Sustainable livelihoods are not only about creating opportunities, but about improving the conditions that allow people to access markets, exercise their rights, and participate in the economy on fairer and more sustainable terms.”
The workshop will inform ARDD’s ongoing Sustainable Livelihoods and Economic Well-Being portfolio, reinforcing the connection between field realities, program design, and policy dialogue on decent work, economic inclusion, and locally led development in Jordan.
