At a ceremony today in Amman, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation of Jordan and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands celebrated the beginning of the second phase of the Prospects Partnership in Jordan. According to a release for The Jordan Times, Zeina Toukan, minister of planning and international cooperation, representatives from other donor nations, UN agencies, and local NGOs were present at the event, which was hosted by Harry Verweij, ambassador of the Kingdom of The Netherlands.
Prospects is a collaboration that seeks to increase the availability of high-quality education, social safety, and good employment for refugees and host communities. It is carried out by the IFC, ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF, and the World Bank in eight countries, including Jordan, with funding provided by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Prospects has moved onto a second four-year phase, beginning in 2024, after the first four years of implementation (2019–2023). According to the statement, the Netherlands will be spending an extra $98 million to support partners’ efforts in employment, protection, and education. Water will also be a new area of emphasis in Jordan.
Our primary goal in working with Jordan on development has been and continues to be to positively impact the country’s ability to accommodate refugees. Our programming in Jordan revolves around the Prospects partnership. Thanks to the World Bank, UNHCR, ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF, and other implementing partners, Prospects has assisted Jordanians and refugees in obtaining higher education, respectable jobs, and protection for their rights and general well-being. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Verweij stated, “We will continue to invest in these areas in this second phase in close cooperation with the Jordanian government, while we also add water as a new area of focus.”
Self-reliance and social and economic empowerment are at the center of the Prospects collaboration, which aligns with the Government of Jordan’s aims to create a more resilient and productive society. The relationship is especially focused on women and youth, as well as the host communities in Jordan that house refugees. Prospects partners carry out their initiatives in close collaboration with the government.
“The Government of Jordan appreciates the support extended to Jordan under the first phase of Prospects and the partnership established with implementing partners to deliver on key priorities supporting refugees and host communities,” Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan said during the launch. Important outcomes have been delivered, and we are eager to expand on this. Thus, we are excited to work with the Dutch embassy and our partners on the second phase, which will enable us to fulfill our commitments to the Jordan Response Plan and the Economic Modernization Vision in the areas of livelihoods, social protection, education, TVET, and private sector development.
The four main pillars of the collaboration are water, employment, protection, and education. According to the statement, Prospects enhances the educational system as a whole by preparing educators and giving refugees and other disadvantaged Jordanians access to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and life skills, all of which are in line with the demands of the labor market.
By promoting the expansion of the private sector, enhancing working conditions, and encouraging entrepreneurial endeavors that involve both Jordanians and refugees, it increases prospects for respectable employment.
Prospects and the Government of Jordan work together to improve social security, child protection, and support programs within the social protection umbrella, all the while making sure refugees have access to official paperwork.
Last but not least, the alliance aims to promote climate resilience and efficient water use for vulnerable groups, particularly those in refugee camps, by enhancing water resource management and access to sustainable water and sanitation services.
The five partners and The Netherlands commit to building on each other’s strengths and searching for long-term solutions to forced displacement in close collaboration with the Government of Jordan, given the global backdrop of refugee and forced displacement situations that are becoming more complex.
The alliance is also advantageous to Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia. According to the release, The Netherlands contributed 500 million euros in phase 1 of the collaboration and has committed 800 million euros for phase 2, which will last until 2028.
