The Campaign to End Statelessness in Jordan
Despite 20th-century human rights treaties aiming to ensure universal human rights, stateless individuals continue to encounter obstacles in accessing fundamental rights like education, healthcare, and employment. Jordan, like many MENA countries, hasn’t ratified key UN treaties on statelessness or refugee rights, leaving stateless individuals in Jordan vulnerable to social, economic, and political marginalization. Initiated by the Boston University School of Law’s International Human Rights Clinic, a long-term project investigating statelessness’s impact in the Middle East began in 2018. This project expanded in 2020 when the Clinic launched a partnership with the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD). Focused on Jordan, this report is part of a wider initiative to establish a MENA statelessness network, the second such report mapping statelessness issues in the region. Offering recommendations to dismantle legal barriers, the report aims to significantly alleviate statelessness in Jordan.
JONAF Response to COVID-19 Assessment
The economic and social life in Jordan has been impacted adversely by the COVID-19 crisis as vulnerabilities deepened and compounded. Furthermore, while the residents of Jordan became more in need of humanitarian aid and assistance, the COVID-19 crisis made delivering aid more difficult due to stoppages, breakdowns of supply chains, and the sudden and immediate upsurge in demand for aid. The Jordanian government was praised early on for seemingly managing the crisis effectively. However, this was short lived as economic and social hardships grew, and delivery hinged upon, among other things, accessing the most vulnerable, learning their whereabouts, dire necessities, and, ultimately, reaching them. The role of civil society came to the forefront in terms of access to vulnerable communities, and due to civil society’s specific and local knowledge, and its awareness of the needs of vulnerable individuals and communities. Consequently, the government, which responded exclusively during the first two weeks of closure, adapted its response plan to allow some civil society organizations to help through predefined channels and measures. The Jordan National NGO Forum (JONAF), which has been participating in the humanitarian response during the COVID-19 crisis, was among the first responders. JONAF was established in 2016 by a group of local civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other entities with the aim of coordinating and leading the national humanitarian response and development efforts in Jordan. Currently, JONAF includes 50 member organizations from across the Kingdom, including four CSOs that have observer status. Due to the significant role that JONAF played during the first phase of the crisis, the need for assessing the overall capabilities of JONAF members’ responses throughout all the phases of the COVID-19 was apparent. During August-September 2020, the Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development (ARDD), in coordination with the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) Secretariat, commissioned an assessment of JONAF’s response plan to the COVID-19 crisis. The assessment is conducted as part of the project “Strengthening in-country NGO Fora to promote enhanced NGO collective action at field level during the COVID-19 response”. The objective of the assessment is to assess JONAF’s response to the COVID-19 crisis by evaluating and documenting the main experiences, available capacities, gaps and achievements, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of its COVID-19 response and the collaboration of the forum. The assessment consists of four key sections: the first section presents the methodology; the second describes the sample; the third delineates the findings (basic functioning and structure, forum decision making, collaboration and partnerships, reputation and visibility, ability to learn and improve, and sustainability); and the last section provides the recommendations of the study.
“Documentation for Syrian Refugees in Jordan: Good Practices and Challenges” Working Paper
Syrian refugees in Jordan, as elsewhere in the world, are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse and are prevented from accessing humanitarian services, such as health and education. To amend this situation and in an effort to help refugees claim their rights, the “Enhancing Protection” project funded by the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development in Jordan (SDC) project has aimed to address civil documentation needs of a large number of refugee families suffering from a lack of relevant documents. This Working Paper stems from the legal aid services that have been conducted over the course of the most recent rectification campaign that ended in 2019, and the work afterwards. As part of its advocacy commitment to enhance and strengthen the rights of Syrian refugees this legal Working Paper thus hopes to contribute to enhanced community knowledge and raise awareness on the complexities surrounding procedural aspects of refugees’ civil status documentation. This Working Paper concentrates on a key aspect of civil documentation, namely affixing marriage and kinship in the Kingdom. It provides analysis of key obstacles preventing the concerned individuals from seeking successfully completing their regularization in the country. The Paper also provides some preliminary analysis the impact of COVID 19 on the legal system as well as some reflections on its impact on the possible future obstacles to document marriages and civil status. Finally the paper provides several recommendations for decision-makers, official institutions, legal aid providers, donors and refugees to ensure the best protection for refugees and reliable information, stressing the importance of documentation and taking into account all developments such as Covid-19 and others.
Fora of 105 international and national NGOs in Jordan report highlights progress and challenges in responding to Syrian refugee crisis in the Kingdom
The Jordan INGO Forum (JIF) and the Jordanian NGOs Forum (JONAF) have just launched the June 2020 Walk the Talk report on progress and challenges faced in implementing the commitments made by the Government of Jordan and the International Community under the Jordan Compact and at subsequent Brussels meetings in 2017, 2018 and 2019. As with previous years, the June 2020 Walk the Talk focuses on education, livelihoods, protection, and health, and draws heavily on both civil society consultations and the Independent Monitor’s Assessment Report from April 2020. It points to obstacles that Syrian refugees continue to face and actions that the International Community and the Jordanian government can take to address these challenges. The advent of COVID-19 makes the backdrop to this year’s Brussels conference very different to previous years. Jordan is entering a challenging and uncertain period. Like other countries, it faces the difficult task of balancing the health risks created by COVID-19 against the economic risks posed by public health measures to limit transmission. While the Jordanian government must be commended for the way it has handled the pandemic, Jordan has not been spared the damaging socio-economic impacts of a prolonged curfew. Vulnerable populations have been affected by the loss of livelihoods and an immediate priority for JIF, JONAF, and our member agencies has been to ensure that no one is left behind in national response plans to COVID-19. In particular, the empowerment of Syrian women and youth must be integrated in these strategies to address the specific economic, social, and protection concerns brought about by the pandemic. No less important, is the need to preserve the gains that have been made over the past several years with the support of humanitarian and development assistance. This requires significant investment in remedial action. Health services provided by humanitarian agencies play a critical role in the COVID-19 response, with refugees at increased risk of infection due to overcrowding, lack of access to services, and economic vulnerability. Demand for basic needs support is greater now than before, but it must also be complemented by a longer-term commitment to support economic recovery and to guarantee that protection spaces for refugees do not narrow as economic conditions deteriorate, especially at a time when most expect the number and severity of protection cases to rise sharply. Ensuring that levels of international support are adequate to meet the many challenges facing Jordan is critical. In addition, there must be continued follow-up and engagement with civil society to address these ongoing needs and incorporate necessary voices and perspectives. Furthermore, as the Syrian conflict continues unabated and the need for political dialogue to bring an end the crisis is essential, we all have a role to play in safeguarding the welfare and livelihoods of Syrian refugees in Jordan, as well as in prioritizing localisation and ensuring sustainable ownership at the community level. It is essential that we continue to support Jordan in setting an example for other countries in the region on both refugee policy and its implementation.
Palestinian Refugees: Is there the need for a new approach to solutions beyond the 70 year old impasse?
On 20 – 22 October 2019, as part of its Global Network of Experts on the Question of Palestine’s efforts, Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) organized the Networks 2nd Annual workshop in Amman titled “Palestinian Refugees: Towards a New Approach to Solutions” workshop in which the Network proceeded as per its first workshop’s (held in October 2018) recommendation’s to discuss a number of novel ideas with respect to the durable solutions for the Palestinian refugee issue. During the workshop, 30 Palestinian and international experts, from academia, civil society organizations and the international community at large, explored ways that could revitalize discussions around Palestinian refugees. The workshop recalled that Palestinian refugees, including their descendants born in exile are recognized refugees under international law. As such, they enjoy fundamental rights under various bodies of international law, including human rights law and refugee law.
Violence and Youth’s Participation in Public Life
This report comes in the context of the project “Bridges of Understanding: Empowering Youth through Community Cohesion” in Al-Mafraq Governorate, which was implemented by Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) in cooperation with the Fondation de France. The project’s activities, which lasted from April 1, 2018 to November 30, 2019 included (legal awareness sessions, psychological and social support sessions, conflict resolution skills building sessions, and dialogue sessions) to support Jordanian and Syrian young men and women between the ages of 16-25 years, to contribute effectively to the efforts towards achieving community cohesion in their communities. The involvement of young men and women in the efforts to achieve social cohesion in Mafraq is at the core of ARDD’s work and its goals to ensure that everyone in Jordan should have the opportunity to have a role in solving the issues facing them in their societies. ARDD also believes that providing space to support the creation of positive relations between Syrian youth and host communities and providing them with the tools necessary to contribute effectively to their societies, is imperative to achieving peace, stability and recovery in the region now and in the future. “Young people in Jordan constitute (70%) of the population, while children and young people under the age of 24 years constitute a cross section of a group, reaching (43.5%) of the total population, the endeavors of development in all fields will be more influential and changing if efforts targeted the largest segment and the most widespread, as investing in youth gives the state and society an immediate and future treatment that contributes to building a more coherent and strong building.“ The frustration of young people could lead to problems that we are not necessarily aware of, among them the isolation that impairs the active role of youth in citizenship and public responsibility. Young people in Jordan still suffer from difficulties in obtaining education and having the adequate job opportunities, which enhances the frustration of young men and women, and increases immigration rate and brain drain, especially with the high cost of higher education in public universities, the narrowing of spaces for expression and equal participation. Social violence (in its various forms) is an obstacle to the vital participation of young people in public life, especially in conflict areas, As during conflicts, civil society and government institutions reduce their civic education programs in favor of humanitarian relief programs (such as health, education, and food) … etc.), which affects the participation of young people in public life, and their social, economic and political rights.
Supporting Governance from Below – Effective local engagement of and within communities in northern municipalities in Jordan and the role for local civil society.
Governance from below – listening to and representing the voices of people through local participation in decision making and ensuring accountability towards local communities – is crucial for sustaining peace and security, for ensuring sustainable development and for fostering social cohesion. This report explores how local civil society can contribute to local participation and engagement of local communities, in response to and in accordance with the 2015 Decentralization Law and the Municipality Law. ARDD (2016) understands civic participation as the engagement and active awareness of people in ongoing development of and by their communities. This differs from other conceptualizations of civic participation which tend to frame it in terms of wider political participation through more formal structures. In this report, ARDD draws upon lessons learned from two years of continuous work with local civil society and local communities in three municipalities in the north of Jordan (Mafraq, Sarhan and Ramtha) – including women, youth, and refugees – with the goal to increase their participation and local engagement. This project, Ma’an Lenabne: Empowering Communities through Political Engagement is part of Qudra, an EU-funded regional initiative for strengthening the resilience of displaced persons and their host communities in response to the Syria and Iraq crises. The primary activity consisted of community initiatives which started with carefully selecting, partnering with and training 7 CBOs that were working with youth, women, and refugees and were strongly rooted in local networks. Tools were provided to support their engagement with communities and in developing roles, relationships and responsibilities that underpinned the formulation and development of bottom-up initiatives to address local communities’ concerns and needs. The report explores the many challenges and opportunities that exist for local engagement and participation by community members – including youth, women and refugees – within their communities and the municipalities. It contributes to understanding the potential roles civil society can play to further support effective local engagement by and of communities.
What will Jordanian civil society look like if localization is achieved? JONAF -Working together towards Localization
JONAF- Working together towards Localization As part of its advocacy efforts and role in promoting localization of humanitarian response, the Jordan National NGOs Forum (JONAF) held its third annual event On July 21, 2019, seeking to address and answer this question “What will Jordanian civil society look like if localization is achieved?”. JONAF has begun to play an important role in the follow-up of several significant agendas such as the Humanitarian Action Localization agenda, which calls for the inclusion of local and national representatives in the planning and implementation of humanitarian and development strategies to ensure that targeted community needs are met. Current challenges to implementing localization include different interpretations of the Grand Bargain by local and international organizations; conflicting approaches between government agencies, local organizations, and international organizations to implementing localization; and finally, the capacity and understanding within national organizations to carry out aid work. This event, which was launched by a word from her excellency Senator Sawsan Al Majali, aimed to generate discussion amongst JONAF members, government officials, and CSOs to encourage the commitments made in the Grand Bargain in 2016 and in the Charter 4 Change in 2015. At the core of this commitment was to enable locally led humanitarian and development architecture and practices, and Jordanian civil society, to scale up and sustain investments from the aid sector by enforcing accountability and localization. The event also aimed to increase resilience to challenges posed by a shrinking space for civil society, funding limitations, and increased due diligence requirements by governments and donors.
“Syrian Refugees’ Perceptions and Satisfaction Regarding the Justice Sector in Jordan
ARDD has released its latest report entitled “Syrian Refugees’ Perceptions and Satisfaction Regarding the Justice Sector in Jordan”. The report is based on the outcomes of two surveys: the first one was conducted under “Support for Justice Sector Reform” funded by the EU, and included a non-national non-representative sample of (1700) Jordanians and non-Jordanians. the second one was conducted by ARDD as an independent follow-up survey that included a sample of (600) female and male Syrian Refugees living out of refugees camps in the areas of Amman, Zarqa, Mafraq. Irbed, and Karak. According to ARDDs report, (43.8%) of the Syrian Refugees respondents reported to feel that their rights are fully protected in Jordan.
Know Her Rights Tools of Knowledge Elimination violence against women and girls in Jordan
Various sectors of Jordanian society are marred by a wide-ranging lack of gender sensitivity and different forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). The easy-to-understand “Tools of Knowledge: Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls in Jordan” toolkit was created as part of the Know Her Rights Project to combat VAWG in four sectors: government, media, education, and health sectors. Awareness-raising, as employed in this toolkit, is one of ARDD’s main tools to empower women, secure just legal outcomes, and create a more gender-sensitive environment for women to live life comfortably. While this toolkit contains the input of various stakeholders, from the government to media, education, and civil society experts, its innovative approach to dispersing the knowledge is based on the simple, non-technical composition of the toolkit. “Tools of Knowledge: Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls in Jordan” includes descriptions of the challenges facing women in each of the four sectors, as well as surveys for members of the sector to appraise their own understanding of VAWG and gender sensitivity. The key output from this project is developing a culture of gender sensitivity that combats violence and negative byproducts of institutionalized male-dominated norms and social roles. By fundamentally transforming how women and men handle VAWG in Jordan, enduring change is expected to take root as a result of the toolkit. This toolkit was created in partnership with the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (UNTF).