The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The Deposit Number at The National Library (2013/11/3963) يتحمل المؤلف كامل المسؤولية القانونية عن محتوى مصنفه وال

Transcription

1 The Second National Report on Evaluating the Progress in Implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo 1994 and beyond

2 The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The Deposit Number at The National Library (2013/11/3963) يتحمل المؤلف كامل المسؤولية القانونية عن محتوى مصنفه وال يعب ر هذا المصنف عن رأي دائرة المكتبة الوطنية أو أي جهة حكومية أخرى.

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4 Forward: The International Conference on Population and Development (ICDP), held in 1994, was a practical response to the conviction and belief in worldwide interdependence on issues related to population and sustainable development. This Conference presented all countries with an opportunity to adopt policies, on both the economic and social fronts, that emphasize sustained economic growth within a framework of sustainable development Developing countries are suffering from a multitude of economic difficulties, as evident in problems such as poverty, famine, unemployment, environmental pollution, continued social and economic disparity and environmental problems related to climatic changes. The opinions expressed in the ICPD and its recommendations arrived at a consensus to link demographics with sustainable development so as to achieve high levels of development (United Nations, 1994). The Higher Population Council is pleased to launch the The Second National Report on Evaluating the Progress in Implementation of the Plan of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo The report depicts the national efforts undertaken towards satisfying the main domains of the ICPD. Utilizing a standardized methodology The International Population and Development Conference for beyond 2014 survey questionnaire that covered the eight pillars of the ICPD 1994 PoA which enabled regional and international comparisons; the report compares the national achievements to the achievements of other countries. Furthermore, the report represents a clear appraisal of the national efforts, as expressed in the Kingdom s report on the progress that was achieved in implementing the plan of action of the International Conference on Population and Development (1994) Cairo after 15 years (2009). The report draws its importance from its utility as a tool that identifies effective policies and work priorities that ought to be considered beyond This particular timeframe will witness the finalizing work on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), along with the challenges, opportunities and risks faced by Jordan particularly the difficult economic conditions, characterized by the escalating price of fuel and its negative impact on peoples lives since (2012). The report reflects on Jordan s national achievements as per each of the eight main domains of the ICPD Plan of Action (PoA) which are: Population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development specifically in the areas of alleviating poverty, expanding food security, enhancing environment resources management, improving solid waste management, minimizing disparity I

5 between the different areas and establishing fair trade relations. Population growth and structure/frame which focuses on Jordan s approach to issues concerning adolescents and youth, the elderly and people with disabilities. Urbanization and internal migration. International migration and development. The family and welfare of individuals and societies. Reproductive rights and reproductive health, morbidity and mortality. Population, development and education. Gender equality, equity and women empowerment. Last but not least, the most important achievements, recommendations and way forward. The report includes national strategies, policies, legislations and programs for each domain, in addition to the main achievements, recommendations, and future aspirations. Secretary General Prof. Raeda Qutob II

6 Acknowledgement On the occasion of the release of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan s second report on the progress achieved in implementing the programme of action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo 1994, it gives me great pleasure to commend Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal for her persistent efforts, steadfast support and constant care for the activities of the Higher Population Council to achieve its aspirations and ambitions. We would also like to extend our deepest thanks to all governmental and civil institutions that participated in bringing this report into existence. I would like to express a sincere thank you to our national expert Dr. Abdel Baset Athamneh who has drafted the report in its present state. Additional thanks are also due to Professor Thyab Al-Badayneh and his assistant Dr. Khawla Al-Hassan who had worked on the report in its initial state and followed up with the stakeholders so as to identify the national achievements and the challenges that Jordan faced in implementing the work plan of the Cairo ICPD. Gratitude is also extended to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation for its contribution in providing the crucial data and following up on work procedures adopted by this report, in addition to its efforts in coordinating with ESCWA. A special thank you goes to the Technical Committee that reviewed the report and the questionnaire: Dr. Mohammad Shahateet/ Princess Sumaya University of Technology; Dr. Ahmad Abu Haidar/ Department of Statistics; Dr. Ibrahim Eleiwat/ Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and Mrs. Layali Abu Seir / UNFPA. We dearly appreciate UNFPA s technical and financial support and thankfully recognize their efforts towards the generation of this report. We would also like to thank the personnel of the Studies and Policies unit at the Higher Population Council who worked on revising, editing and producing this report in its final state. May God help us all to serve our beloved Jordan and our Jordanian society under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein. May God protect his Majesty and place goodness and prosperity in his path, and may God protect Jordan and keep it safe. Secretary General Prof. Raeda Qutob III

7 Table of Contents Topic Forward Acknowledgement Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures Executive Summary Introduction Methodology of preparing the report Population issues as a developmental priority in Jordan Population, Sustained Economic Growth and Sustainable Development - Reality and future priorities within the population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development Population Growth and Population Structure - Reality and future priorities within the population growth and population structure Urbanization and Internal Migration - Reality and future priorities related to urbanization and internal migration International Migration and Development - Reality and future priorities regarding international immigration and development Family and Welfare of societies - Reality and future aspirations regarding family and society welfare Rights, Reproductive Health, Disease and Mortality - Reality and future priorities within the rights, reproductive health, diseases and mortality Population, Development and Education - Reality and future priorities within the population, development and education Gender Equality and Women Empowerment - Reality and future priorities under the gender equality and women empowerment Conclusion Bibliography Page I III IV V VI VII IV

8 Table Number List of Tables Table title Page Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD themes specifically in relation 1 population and sustained economic growth and 7 sustainable development Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in 2 dealing with ICPD themes specifically in relation 22 to population growth and population structure Development of Selected Health Indicators in 3 37 Jordan ( ) Selected Empowerment Indicators for Jordanian 4 Women (2011) 43 V

9 List of Figures Figures Number Figures title Page 1 Population Growth in Jordan ( ) Population Density (person/km 2 ) in Jordan by Governorate 2011 Absolute Poverty Rates Extreme Poverty Rates Absolute Poverty Rates (2010) according to Governorate and its Evolvement for the period ( ) Unemployment rates in comparison to Poverty and Inequality ( ) Economic Growth Rates in Jordan and per capita GDP ( ) Inflation Rates in Jordan ( ) Development of Selected Environmental Indicators in Jordan ( ) Self-Sufficiency Rate for Selected Agricultural and Animal products for 2007 Population Pyramid in Jordan (2011) Relation between percentage of urban area population in governorates and percentage of all governorates population to the total Kingdom population Development of the Percentage of Registered Foreign Workers to the Jordanian Labor Force ( ) Development in Percentage of outgoing Remittances to the In coming ones in the period ( ) Economic Growth Rates in Jordan and per Capita GDP ( ) Development of Fuel Prices in Jordan ( ) Trend of Total Fertility Rate in Jordan ( ) Illiteracy Rates by Gender for Population (15 years and over) ( ) Evolvement of Unemployment Rates in Jordan according to Gender ( ) Evolvement of the Revised Economic Participation Rates for Population (15 years and more) in Jordan according to Gender ( ) VI

10 Executive Summary I. Importance of the report and its goals The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo from 5-13 September 1994, expressed a global consensus on the importance of the population issue as a developmental priority at both the international and national levels. The Conference produced an executive plan which proposed the adoption of a twenty -year Programme of Action ( ) (PoA) with an integral goal of creating a balance between continuous population growth on the one hand and economic growth and sustainable development on the other. Jordan is considered to be one of the most affected countries by the population issue in the Arab region, whereby it receives and sends out migrations. Additionally, the increase in the normal rates of population growth reflects parallel changes to the same population issues including economic and social circumstances. At present, population issues in Jordan are highlighted as a recurrent national priority especially within the demographic changes and continuous migrations witnessed in the region; all of which have long term developmental impacts on the Jordanian society and the national economy. This report comes in to underscore the progress that Jordan has achieved in the ICPD PoA, as part of the preparations under-way to organize for The Beyond 2014 Regional Arab Population and Development Conference, which will be held in 2013 in Cairo. The Conference aims to evaluate the progress achieved in implementing the PoA in the Arab region. The report also falls within the scope of preparations for the international conference which should take place in The 2013 Cairo Conference will enlist the Arab region s point of view on the global development agenda for post The report aims at: Analyzing the extent of the progress that Jordan has achieved in line with the 1994 Cairo Conference and within the eight main pillars that formulated the Conference s PoA: sustained economic growth; sustainable development; population growth and population structure; urbanization and internal migration; international migration and development; family and welfare of individuals and societies; rights and reproductive health, disease and mortality; population and development and education; gender equality and women empowerment. This analysis was performed to better comprehend the current population status and determine the factors that motivate speeding up the implementation of the Conference s PoA for beyond Determining the beyond 2014 national priorities, based on the national, regional and international developments that influence the population and development issues. VII

11 II. Methodology of report development: This report was prepared using both descriptive and analytical methods to allow for acomprehensive view of all issues related to the population theme in Jordan, and the progress made towards fulfilling ICPD PoA. The descriptive analysis presents the evolvement of numbers and percentages related to the selected progress indicators that support or refute the status of the mentioned progress. The associations between the variables were analyzed to show the status quo in regards to the Conference s main pillars and their different intersections. To achieve this analysis, the report used both primary and secondary data. To conduct the analysis, the report utilized published secondary data of the various population and economic surveys produced by the Department of Statistics (DOS). Reports of related ministries and other public and civic entities were also used. As for primary data, the report relied on the information that was generated from The International Population and Development Conference for beyond 2014 survey questionnaire that covered the eight pillars of the ICPD 1994 PoA and which was completed by the ministries and institutions concerned. Additionally, the national questionnaire that was distributed in October 2012 was analyzed. The results obtained from this questionnaire, formed the basis of the material presented in this report. The results were further enhanced through conducting interviews, relevant to the topics covered by the Conference, its eight pillars and its goals, with a number of experts, parliamentarians, youth representatives and civil society organizations. III. Main findings: The report presents a number of findings which display the national developmental efforts that Jordan has achieved and the main challenges faced within the eight domains incorporated in this report: 1. Population and Sustained Economic Growth and Sustainable Development: The Government has carried out various activities and implemented several procedures which included: Launching the Employment and Poverty Alleviation work plan for ( ) and the National Employment Program (2008). In addition, the Government adopted direct subsidies of some essential goods before liberalizing its markets. It also enhanced the role of the non-profit organizations in alleviating poverty. Taking measures to diminish the disparity between the different geographic areas which included: the emphasis on implementing the Human Resource and Human Capital Investment within the Governorates Strategy and maintenance of the investment incentives to encourage investment in the Governorates while stressing on the training of unemployed Jordanians in these areas. Working towards reinforcing food security through launching the Agriculture Document for 2009, focusing policies on food security and encouraging investment in the agricultural sector. IX

12 Including sustainable development principles in government policies and programs to safeguard against further deterioration of environmental resources. The Government also implemented procedures that promote protection of agricultural lands. Undertaking serious endeavors to improve solid waste management, in addition to enhancing environmental supervisory procedures to ensure biodiversity and to formulate better land usages plans. Despite the various achievements, there are still numerous challenges, of which: Persistent relative elevation in poverty rates at both the national and governorate levels. Poverty rates show a weak link to unemployment rates (especially females); particularly in view of the continued increase in the number of foreign workers, forced migrations and refugee influx to Jordan. Jordan faces challenges in its attempts to diminish the disparity between geographic areas. the disparity situation is a result of weak levels of private investments at the governorate level; attributable to the limited demand in these areas. The scarcity of water resources (drinking and irrigation) in Jordan is another huge challenge. Further difficulties arose from the modest investment in the agricultural sector and chronic decrease on returns within these investments. Additionally, failure of farmers to follow basics of the agricultural cycle for rain fed agriculture and unplanned urban sprawling have contributed to recession of arable lands. The weakness of environmental supervisory efficiency due to the modest capabilities of concerned bodies and limited knowledge about the environment and environmental issues, especially at the municipal level. Weak and ineffective coordination between the entities related to resource management, resource sustainability and alleviating environmental degradation presents another challenge. 2. Population Growth and Population Structure: The Higher Council for Youth is continuously making efforts that aim at empowering Jordanian youth both politically and economically and raising their awareness on civil rights and citizenship. The Council had already launched the Second National Strategy for Youth ( ). Jordan executed a number of procedures related to the elderly people and their needs; namely, the National Elderly Strategy (2008).The strategy aimed at improving the status of elderly people from the health, social, developmental, environmental and spiritual perspectives. Additionally, the Government of Jordan (GoJ) addressed the issues related to people with disabilities in the form of signing and ratifying the UN agreement regarding people with disabilities (CRPD) and establishing a main point of reference for issues of people with disabilities, the Higher Council for People with Disabilities (2007). Moreover, the GoJ had endorsed the People with Disability law number 31 for 2007 and the National Strategy for People with Disabilities ( ). X

13 Despite the various achievements, there are still several challenges, of which: Continued increase in growth rates of youth in Jordan that surpass economic growth rates, which will limit future job opportunities. This also alerts to the possibility of failure to reach the expected peak of the demographic opportunity by 2030 due to the high birth rates and the continuing influx of migrations to Jordan, especially the forced ones, created by regional circumstances since Services provided for the elderly are limited to the basic needs of food, health and social insurance. The concept of elderly people s homes is still largely unacceptable, however, shelter and care of the elderly is a national duty that should be delivered through joint efforts involving both the public and private sectors who work together to provide support for this segment of society. Care services provided by the public and private sectors in Jordan to people with disabilities are still lacking due to insufficiency of the funds allocated for care and rehabilitation. There is also a dire need for qualified personnel to care for people with disabilities. 3. Urbanization and Internal Migration: Amman, the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, reflects the economic and social development that the Kingdom is experiencing. As such, the city faces a regular increase in the number of its residents. Economic and social opportunities are concentrated mainly in Amman and to a lesser extent, in few other cities such as Zarqa Irbid and Aqaba, which, similar to Amman, became a destination for internal migration. This imbalance in population distribution in Jordan has led to a parallel imbalance in the population distribution of urban areas. The percentage of urban population in the capital reached (94%), (94.5%) in the city of Zarqa and (82.9%) in Irbid. The lowest percentage of urban population for the same year was observed in Karak (35.5%) and Mafraq (39.2%). The scarcity of research on internal migration is a significant obstacle. Very little is known about this issue and its association with urbanization as a developmental priority for Jordan, which is facing a geographic imbalance in the distribution of its population. 4. International Migration and Development: Jordan, ever since its independence, has continuously been receiving waves of forced migration as in 1948, 1967, 1982, 1991 and The year 2011, and due to Syria s unfortunate internal situation, witnessed a large influx of Syrian refugees which continues to this day. By May 2013, the estimated number of Syrian refugees in Jordan approached one million persons. This state of affairs had a negative impact on the developmental efforts that Jordan has been trying to achieve for the past 65 years. It has also burdened Jordan with extra expenses and increased pressure on the infrastructure and public utilities; thus reducing the Jordanian citizen s share of different services. Furthermore, Jordan s adoption, since 1973, of the open door policy regarding export and import of labor, resulted in an estimated number of 400 thousand Jordanian expatriates in contrast to an estimate of thousand foreign workers in Jordan by the end of XI

14 This benefited Jordan a lot as the differences in the amount of incoming remittances from Jordanians abroad was more than the outgoing remittances of foreign workers in Jordan. In 2011 Jordan received a total of million JDs in remittances, while the foreign workers in Jordan sent out million JDs. Jordan suffers from the scarcity of migration data in all its forms and from the absence of a national point of reference that processes this type of data. 5. Family and Society Welfare: Jordan has adopted a number of strategies and procedures which target the empowerment of the Jordanian family -the solid foundation of society- as well as upgrading the welfare levels of its children. The Government developed the National Strategy for Poverty Alleviation in collaboration with UNDP and provided direct cash compensation to citizens suffering from the liberalization of prices of some goods especially fuel. The average family size in Jordan continues to decrease, due to the reduction of the total fertility rate, later age of marriage, and use of family planning methods. Female aspiration to get jobs has led to lower fertility rates among those who join the labor force. However, welfare levels of the Jordanian family are threatened by the fluctuation of economic growth rates and the escalation of the inflation rates accompanied by a persistent rise in prices of basic commodities, particularly fuel. Other sources of threat include the increase of poverty rates at the national and governorate levels, the relative increase in unemployment rates and the expansion of the poverty phenomenon on a regular basis. 6. Rights, Reproductive Health, Disease and Mortality: Jordan has witnessed a quantum leap in the area of health care since its independence and to this day. Expenditure on health services has increased significantly, which led to an impressive improvement in the quality of these services and their outreach coverage of a large segment of the population. Additionally, Jordan incorporated a number of plans concerned with reproductive health and family planning within several national strategies namely: the National Population Strategy, the Family Planning/Reproductive Health plan ( ), the National Communication and Health Awareness Strategy ( ), the Reproductive Health Action Plan/Family Planning ( ), Women Health Strategy, and the National AIDS Strategy ( ). The increased public awareness of primary health care, as a national priority, is reflected in the expenditure on health. In 2007, the budget of the Ministry of Health was 5.56% of the total public budget; this proportion rose to 6.28% in Jordan needs the active collaboration of the public and private sectors so as to provide medical services especially emergency care to those who have no medical insurance. There is also a need to address the negative attitudes of individuals and families through reproductive health awareness campaigns especially regarding some myths or misinformed traditions that oppose reproductive health. XII

15 7. Population, Development and Education: Jordan has implemented various educational policies and strategies; the National Education Strategy ( ) is the most recent. It has also achieved the second MDG related to primary education, which opens up the horizon to benefit from the available investment in human capital opportunities in Jordan. Official interest in the educational issue assumed a comprehensive approach and encompassed interest in students needs on different fronts: nutrition, health and a variety of other needs. This has inflated the expenditure on education making it the second largest after that of Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces. The Ministry of Education s budget reached around 11% of total public budget in Jordan took substantial strides in restructuring institutions of higher education. According to the law, official universities are independent national institutions that are financially and administratively autonomous. At present, there are 27 universities; 10 of which are categorized as official universities. The number of students reached students including graduate students. The total number of faculty staff at all universities reached 8285 for the academic year 2011/2012. Despite the various achievements, there are still different challenges, of which: Jordan faces serious challenges in the sectors of education and higher education including: school dropouts, increasing pressure on basic education s infrastructure especially from non-jordanian students, and inputs of higher education still suffer from obvious weaknesses. Some schools, especially the public ones, are in dire need of additional teachers, especially in some subject matters; others face the problem of old rented buildings serving as schools which hinder the educational process. Another big challenge for Jordan is the quality of education at all levels, due to the accelerated increase in the number of students enrolled in schools and in institutions of higher education. The growth in enrollment numbers is occurring at a significantly higher pace than the growth in the resources allocated for the educational process. 8. Gender Equality and Women Empowerment: Jordans has designated the women s is sector as a priority and increased the focus on women s issues within its development policies. Growing attention to women s issues is manifested through emphasizing gender equality in all Jordanian legislations, providing women with the opportunity for economic empowerment and support of the role of women in public and local administration and services, in addition to giving increased consideration to women and child health. Jordan launched the Jordan National Women s Strategy ( ) and ratified international legislations that confirm principles of equality between males and females including lifting reservations on article (15) of CEDAW agreement regarding transport and accommodation. Despite that, female unemployment rates are still very high compared to those of males; and rates of economic participation are very low. This doesn t reflect the educational level that Jordanian females have achieved, but it does negatively impact their empowerment opportunities. XIII

16 IV. Future priorities: In light of the reality that is shaping the link between population and development in Jordan, there are priorities and goals that need to be achieved in the coming 15 years: Continue investing in human capital by describing it as the most important developmental input through. Launching specific implementation programs to rehabilitate human resources in Jordan, so as not only to prepare them for the local labor market but to equip them with the necessary skills and contacts to keep up with the rapid change of the world around us. Jordan needs to adopt vocational training programs at early levels of school, which will promote the students love for work in the long term (after 20 years for example); this will allow the profession to become a life pattern and source of livelihood. The importance of awarding extra attention to the productive sectors, specifically the agricultural sector which is exhibiting an unprecedented low level of contribution to the Jordanian economy. Giving this sector heightened attention will achieve two benefits: the first is contribution towards enhancing food security in the Kingdom and the second is creation of additional job opportunities and substitution of foreign laborers in this sector with Jordanians Serious work on enhancing reproductive health and family planning programs through providing high quality services and adequate information on both reproductive health/ family planning to ensure the peak of the demographic opportunity in Work on improving migration data in Jordan so as to bring it up to standard levels. The continued influx of migrations to Jordan whether laborers or forced will effect Jordan s readiness to achieve the demographic opportunity at its due date. The migrations of the past two years impacted heavily on Jordan s development efforts, imposed demographic changes in the Jordanian society and increased labor market deficiencies. Embark on eliminating the overlap between the roles of the various institutions and entities that address population and development; a situation which complicates the process of evaluation of achievements and identification of their source. Adopt realistic development strategies for the governorates and rural areas which concentrate on providing direct government support for production in those areas. For example, encouraging production in the informal sector and formalizing it should go hand in hand with an immediate halt to permitting the allocation of agricultural lands for other usage especially for housing. The Governorate Development Fund should be activated for this purpose. It is crucial to allot the environmental issue more interest; not only from the viewpoint of policies, strategies and work plans; but through implementing the goals and provisions of environment related legislations so as to halt the deteriorating status of the environment in Jordan and prevent further decline. The Government in the upcoming stage should prepare for jumpstarting the women empowerment process, whereby it should revise women s empowerment modus operandi, which allows women certain political rights based on quotas or exemptions. What is needed is to empower women on the basis of ability to compete. XIV

17 The importance of exerting more effort towards improvement of quality of life of people with disabilities and adopting policies that will secure their complete integration in the society and provide rehabilitation programs in every field. Take on all possible procedures and tools to enhance the role of the civil society organizations which are active in the field of population and demographics and facilitate their partnership with the government so as to achieve sustainable development. This can be done through supporting the concerned organizations in developing their population related programs and projects. Last but not least, if the final objective of population policies is to provide a better life for the people, both as individuals and groups, and improve their welfare level, then it is crucial to adopt serious economic policies which would prevent income disparity. In order to achieve this, it is imperative to apply principles of progressive taxation on banks, financial institutions and large companies along with a simultaneous increase in tax exemptions for the unfortunate segments and for those who live in the rural areas. XV

18 I. Introduction The 1994 Cairo ICPD demonstrated international consensus on the importance of the population issue as a developmental priority whether at the national or international level. Conference participants included delegations of 179 (governments) as well as delegations from international agencies and non governmental organizations. The Conference resulted in the adoption of a twenty years Program of Action (PoA) ( ), which took into consideration a pivotal goal: realizing a balance between continued population growth on the one hand and economic growth and sustainable development on the other. The work plan incorporated important population-specific themes, foremost of which included: population growth and structure; adolescents and youth issues; needs of the elderly and people with disabilities; urbanization and internal migration, international migration and development; family and society welfare; rights, reproductive health, disease and mortality; gender equality and women empowerment and population, education and development. The Doha Conference (2009) emphasized these priorities and the commitment of the Arab region to achieving the goals of the 1994 Cairo ICPD. Furthermore, the conference called on decision makers to focus on the needs of the different segments of society particularly youth and women, through adoption of effective policies which will empower these sectors and utilize their energy, and simultaneously allow for the expansion of their economic and political participation. This commitment should be complemented with emphasis on the importance of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and the inevitability of allowing their participation in the political and legislative decisions. The Conference created an unprecedented interest in the population issue with all its dimensions and dynamics. In addition, it has affirmed the sovereign right of each Arab nation to protect its privacy through ensuring commitment to human rights principles. Jordan, as a country in the Arab region, is considered to be most affected by the population issue; whereby it receives as well as sends out migrations. Additionally, the increase in the normal rates of population growth reflects concurrent changes on the economic and social circumstances. In view of the demographic changes and continuous migrations within the region; factors with long term developmental impacts on the Jordanian society and national economy, the population issue in Jordan is currently highlighted as a persistent national priority. Under the framework of periodic follow-up to evaluate the scope of achievement of the 1994 Cairo ICPD programme of action, this report presents the progress that Jordan has achieved in this perspective. In addition, this evaluation is in response to the ongoing preparations for The Beyond 2014 Regional Arab Population and Development Conference, to be held in 2013 in Cairo. The objective of the conference is to evaluate the progress achieved in implementing the work and programme of action in the Arab 1

19 region in anticipation of the international conference which should take place in New York in The 2013 Cairo Conference will enlist the Arab region s point of view in a World development program context for post This report was prepared by the Higher Population Council in cooperation with UNFPA. In addition to analyzing the progress that Jordan has achieved regarding Cairo (1994) ICPD PoA, it looks at Jordan s population issues in terms of defining national priorities, foreseeing opportunities and future possibilities and outlining challenges that it might face beyond The report includes: Analyzing the extent of the progress that Jordan has achieved in line with the Cairo (1994) Conference and within the eight main domains that formulated the Conference s PoA; sustained economic growth and sustainable development; population growth and population structure; urbanization and internal migration, international migration and development; family and welfare of individuals and societies; rights and reproductive health, disease and mortality; population and development and education; gender equality and women empowerment. This analysis was performed to better comprehend the current status of the population and to determine the factors that motivate speeding up the implementation of the Conference s PoA for beyond Determining the beyond 2014 national priorities, based on the national, regional and international developments that influence both the population and development issues. II. Methodology of preparing the report: This report was prepared using both descriptive and analytical methods to allow for a comprehensive review of all issues related to the population in Jordan, in addition to showcasing the progress that Jordan has achieved according to the programme of action of the Cairo 1994 Conference. The descriptive analysis presents the evolvement of numbers and percentages related to the selected progress indicators that proves or refutes the status of the mentioned progress. The associations between the variables were analyzed to show the status quo in regards to the Conference s main domains and their different intersections. For the purposes of conducting the analysis, the report utilized published secondary data extracted from various population and economic surveys produced by the Department of Statistics (DOS). Reports of ministries and other public and civic entities of relevance were used as well. As for primary data, the report depended on the information that was generated from The International Population and Development for beyond 2014 Conference survey questionnaire that covered the eight domains of the 1994 ICPD PoA and which was completed by the ministries and institutions concerned. 2

20 Additionally, the national questionnaire that was distributed in October 2012 was analyzed, and the results obtained formed the basis of the material presented in this report. The results were further enhanced through conducting interviews, relevant to the topics covered by the Conference, its eight domains and its goals, with a number of specialists, parliamentarians, youth representatives and civil society organizations. Moreover, the Higher Population Council organized several discussion meetings with academics and specialists to exchange ideas and insights and to obtain feedback on drafts of the report. The final meeting took place in 29th Nov More consultation meetings also took place during 2013 and involved the Family Development Association, Arab Women s Organization, the Jordanian National Commission for Women and the Jordanian National Forum for Civil Society Organizations. III. Population issues as a developmental priority in Jordan The population issue is regarded as one of the most dynamic developmental issues in Jordan. Ever since the establishment of the Emirate in 1921 and till the present time, Jordan has witnessed and is still witnessing significant population developments as evident in evolvement of the population numbers, their distribution and characteristics. Jordan has also experienced deep demographic transformations created by both internal and external factors. Jordan s location in the middle of the Arab region, its strategy of investing in human capital and its open door policy in exporting and importing labor played an important role in shaping these transformations. Throughout its modern history, the Kingdom has been exposed to different types of migrations which affected the country positively as well as negatively. One such effect is the increased developmental pressure on infrastructure and public facilities caused by the consecutive waves of migration into Jordan. Conversely, migration out of Jordan particularly that of the labor force, contributed towards the development efforts through enhancing the balance of payments with remittances of Jordanians abroad. Official interest in population issues was translated into the National Population Committee; established in 1973 and headed by the Minister of Labor. In 1988, the Committee was revived and a general secretariat was established. These efforts resulted in The National Population Conference, convened in The National Program for Birth Spacing was set up in 1993 and Jordan s national report was presented at the International Population and Development Conference (Cairo, 1994). Given the important interrelations of population and development, and augmented by growing interest and political will, the Higher Population Council (HPC) came into existence in The HPC became the main point of reference for all demographic and population issues in Jordan. Its mandate extends to cover coordination with the concerned entities, set up policies, strategies and work plans and monitor and evaluate their implementation (Higher Population Council, 2011). 3

21 This culminated in the launch of The National Population Strategy , which aims at achieving main goals in the four pillars: Reproductive health; Population and population development; Justice, equality and women empowerment; Support mechanisms and National Population Strategy implementation. In addition to an assortment of positions and goals, the strategy presents a collection of legislative and administrative measures that aim at creating positive quantitative and qualitative influence on demographic patterns and population characteristics. The National Agenda ( ) came to emphasize the accrued interest in various population issues such as; women empowerment and eliminating discrimination against women in Jordanian legislation, supporting the employment and vocational training of the Jordanian population, improving quality of public health care, poverty alleviation, expanding social insurance beneficiary coverage and establishing the Higher Council for Human Resource Development. The HPC also launched, at the start of 2010, the Demographic Opportunity in Jordan A Policy Document. The document demonstrated that Jordan is on the verge of a demographic transformation of the age structure of its population which will peak within 20 years. This transformation will occur once the percentage of working- age population greatly exceeds that of dependents. It is expected that by 2030, and as a result of the gradual decrease in fertility rates in the ensuing years, the percentage of the working-age population will reach 69%. The document included policy recommendations to ensure and to invest in the Demographic Opportunity created by the demographic transformation and to augment the benefits accrued from changes that will accompany it. the HPC also intended to monitor the progress in the relevant performance indicators which the Council has defined, in cooperation with the concerned sectors and partner entities, during This was accomplished through preparing the national comprehensive plan to observe and follow-up on achieving and investing in the Demographic Opportunity. The goals and results of the plan were based on the direction and goals of the strategy of the Higher Population Council. Parts IV XI of this report will deal with analysis of the progress towards implementing the Cairo 1994 ICPD PoA, through the eight domains mentioned earlier. IV. Population and Sustained Economic Growth and Sustainable Development: The population variable is directly linked to development and economic growth issues, on both the short- and long-term levels. On the short-term level, the increase in the population will increase demand on goods and services; thus increase production and motivate economic growth. In the long run, the increase in size of the population in any country will increase the supply of the work force. Excess supply eventually leads to reduction in labor wages and in the cost of production accordingly. Furthermore, the increase in population will influence the sectoral distribution of the GDP and spur structural changes in the national economy (Hagen, 1988). The issue of population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development encompasses the following pillars: eradicate poverty; reduce disparity between regions; 4

22 enhance food security; enhance environmental resource management; improve solid waste management; achieve sustained usage of resources and halt environmental deterioration. Jordan has witnessed a significant increase in the number of its population in the past sixty years. The population count increased from a mere thousand people in 1952 to 6.25 million people by the end of 2011; at an average growth rate of (4%).This high rate shows that, in a span of 60 years, the population of Jordan has increased by more than 10 fold. Furthermore, there is an obvious geographic maldistribution of the population. In 2011 for example, about (39%) of the Kingdom s population resided in the capital; (18%) in Irbid; (15%) in Zarqa Governorate. In contrast, only (5.4%) of total population lived in the three southern Governorates of Tafileh, Ma an and Aqaba; although these three Governorates make up more than (47.3%) of the total area of the Kingdom. This also created a large disparity in the population density between Governorates as well as urban rural distribution of the population. Figures for 2011 showed that there were individuals/square km in Irbid compared to 3.6 individuals/ square km in Ma an; (82.6%) of the total population lived in urban areas and (17.6%) in rural areas (Department of Statistics, 2012). The gender ratio (number of males/ number of females) was 106.4; the average rate of natural increase of population (2.1 %) and the average population growth (2.2%). Assuming that these percentages remain stable, then the time needed to double the population would be 31.5 years only (Department of Statistics, 2012). Figure (1) Population Growth in Jordan ( ) Population Population Source: Department of Statistics. Annual statistical publications for various years, Amman- Jordan 5

23 Figure (2) Population Density (person/square km) in Jordan by Governorate (2011) Ma an Mafraq Aqaba Tafiela Karak Madaba Zarqa Amman Jarash Balqa Jarash Irbid Jordan has a youthful society. This is reflected specially in the education and higher education sectors. By the end of 2011, the number of students enrolled in all educational programs (regardless of level) was million students, which accounted for (30%) of the total population (Department of Statistics, 2012).Additionally, the population under 15 years of age make up (37%) of the total population, which justifies Jordan s focus on investing in human capital; a central issue in all social and economic plans drafted earlier. However, the more recent strategies, initiatives and policies, lack sufficient emphasis (whether current or future) on this important issue. The Jordanian economy is described as a service economy, dominated by service activities which account for (68%) of the GDP. These activities engaged about (75%) of the labor force in the national economy. Production activities contributed about (32% ) of GDP and used (25%) of the labor force (Department of Statistics, 2012). The Jordanian economy is considered to be a small economy, where the GDP did not exceed 10.3 million JDs in The population for the same year was estimated to be million people and the GDP per capita in fixed prices was JDs (Central Bank of Jordan, 2012). Despite Jordan s limited natural resources and the ever-changing geopolitical situation that surrounds it, the Jordanian economy witnessed an obvious development in the past five decades. This has reflected on the size of total production and on economic growth rates. The GDP at fixed prices increased from 1689 million JDs in 1976 to million JDs in 2011, which indicates an average annual growth rate of (5.3%) for the period ( ). The volume of gross fixed capital accumulation increased during the same period from million JDs in 1976 to million JDs in 2009, which translates into an annual growth rate of (10%) (Central Bank of Jordan, 2012). Despite these huge developments, the Jordanian economy did not contribute effectively towards the reduction of the high unemployment rates which kept up a persistent fluctuation between (12.9%) and (14%) in the past decade. Furthermore, the economic growth in Jordan did not reflect on poverty rates, which remained high both at the national and governorate levels. The poverty rate increased from (13.3%) in 2006 to (14.4%) in 2010 (Figure 5); indicative of Jordan s difficult economic circumstances which were made worse by the negative impact of the international economic crisis. This led to curtailing the effectiveness of the economic policies adopted by the government in decreasing poverty and unemployment rates. 6 Source: Department of Statistics (2012). Jordan in Numbers 2011

24 Topic Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges The Government has executed several procedures to alleviate poverty: Launched the Government work plan for Employment and Poverty alleviation in ( ). Launched the National EmploymentProject (2008) in cooperation with Jordanian Armed Forces and the private sector. The Poverty Reduction Strategy was drafted by Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. Other government efforts: Free Medical Days, Disadvantaged Student Assistance Project, recurrent and emergency cash assistance programs, School Bag Project, Rahman Ramadan meals and Bread for Charity. The government adopted direct subsidy for basic goods before liberalizing their markets,as in subsidy of fuel and its products. The government is targeting elimination of subsidies on other goods and commodities such as electricity and bread, etc. Consolidated the role non-profit organizations in combating poverty and empowered them to establish credit funds, care centers and social service offices, rehabilitate those organizations to implement developmental projects. Several national and semi national official entities that deal with combating poverty and enhancing social productivity for households and individual; Ministry of Social Development National Aid Fund Zakat Fund Development and Employment Fund General Union for Charitable Organizations Tax exemption of charitable donations of individuals and institutions to limit income disparity in society. Official acknowledgment of the importance of information in the strategic planning to combat poverty, whereby the Government continued to conduct the Household Expenditure and Income Survey, which defines the poverty levels in Jordan Continued relative increase in poverty levels on the national and Governorate levels (Figures: 3, 4, 5) Weak linkages between unemployment rates (especially for females) and poverty rates; despite the relative stability of unemployment rates in the past six years, poverty rates were not as stable (Figure 6). Continued competition between foreign and national labor, which created a crowding out effect in most of the economic sectors and activities, which effectively stabilized unemployment rates between Jordanians despite the fact that Jordan witnessed in ( ) high rates of economic growth and growing share of the per capita GDP ( ) (Figure 7). Continued forced migration and refugee influx to Jordan since March 2011 due to the Syrian crisis, which increased the burden on the Jordanian economy and infrastructure and public utilities, and decreased per capita share of Jordanians from public expenditure items especially with the continuing migrations. Relatively high inflation rates accompanied by a continuous increase in fuel prices (Figure 8). Poverty eradication 7

25 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges Suspension of recruitment in the different government entities, civil and military, which contributes to aggravating the poverty problem in Jordan, whereby: salaries and wages form the most important source of income for Jordanians (51% according to the Household Expenditure and Income Survey 2010); Government sector is considered to be the main employer for the labor force (37.5% in 2011). The Government has carried out several procedures to diminish disparity between the regions: Ensured the implementation of the Human Resource and Investment in Human Capital Strategy in the remote Governorates, through establishing official universities there and providing students from those areas with scholarships; limited the exceptional acceptance (outside the scope of unified acceptance) into the official Jordanian Universities to the students graduating from the less fortunate schools which suffer from weakness in the educational environment. Possessing the political will to diminish the disparity in the opportunity to collect development earnings between the capital and the rest of the Kingdom, this is apparent in increased relative representation of governorates in both the executive and legislative authorities, at levels that exceed both population and resource considerations. Established, by Royal Decree, the Governorate Development Fund in July 2011 with a capital of 150 million JDs from government contributions and partnership with the private sector, whereby the government allocated 25 million JDs annually as funding for 5 years. Weak levels of private investments in the governorates due to the limited total demand in these areas, which negatively impacts the possibility of creating extra job opportunities which would contribute to the decline of poverty and unemployment rates. The unemployed in the governorates prefer to work for the public sector more than those in the capital, due to the limited private sector opportunities, in addition to the salary rates which are generally higher than in the private sector. The relative job stability and other benefits that accompany public sector employment all make working there more attractive. Under the receding economic role of the government and Diminish Disparity between regions 8

26 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges Maintain tax exemptions as an incentive to investors in the Governorates, encourage unemployed Jordanians to train there and promote their employment especially in the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ)) which are presently spread out in most governorates of the Kingdom. Set up the Executive Development Program for Governorates in a medium term planning frame for the next three years ( ), in line with the strategic development planning efforts at the national level. especially in recruitment, the disparity issue is estimated to increase. The government has undertaken several procedures to enhance food security, as this issue holds the utmost significance at the national level. Food security constitutes the guarantee to preserve the decent life of individuals and households and contributes to improvement of their welfare. Of these procedures: Launch the National Strategy for Agricultural Development ( ). Launch the Agriculture Document for (2009) and formulation of five sub committees Focus policies in the Food Security domain on encouraging investment in the agriculture sector and the expansion The government continuously attempts to support faltering farmers, who suffer from bad weather in some seasons through direct compensations, with the aim of enhancing the status of agriculture in the Jordanian economy as well as providing incentive to workers in order to retain them in the agricultural sector. Promote Jordanian investments in the agricultural sector through providing farmers with easy loans. For that purpose, the Agriculture Lending Institute was established as an independent entity. Establish the Jordanian Cooperation Organization as a participating technical entity that provides farmers with seeds and Limited water resources in Jordan for drinking or other usage especially irrigation. Jordan is considered the world s fourth poorest country when it comes to water, which poses a serious threat for agricultural production and food security in the Kingdom. Reduction of water allocations for the agricultural sector as per the Strategy of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (2009). Continued decrease of economic returns in the agricultural sector, thus the smaller number of investment in the sector; receding land areas with arable soil due to unplanned urban expansion; continued growth in agriculture lands planning and expansion in arranging agricultural lands; Enhancing food security 9

27 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges in using and reclaiming steep and rocky lands; provide health safety for livestock and develop livestock agricultural products; protect plants and provide fruitful seeds and develop plant agricultural produce; raise the quality of the agricultural product, limit the effects of the risks and dangers that agricultural producers face; encourage specialized applied agricultural research and transfer the techniques and research results to workers in the agricultural sector; preserve forest areas and protect planted areas (Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, 2012). different services which encourage local residents to work in agriculture. farmers not abiding the agricultural cycle in rain fed agriculture. Marketing the agricultural produce, whether in the local or the international markets remains an issue, which results in increased prices of basic products of fruits and vegetables almost all year long, thus depriving some segments of the Jordanian society from consuming them. The absence of a detailed and clear national strategy to promote cultivation of strategic crops which will contribute to increased production,thus enhancing food security. For example; planting grain, whereby Jordan suffers from a huge reliance on importing grains especially wheat. Jordan s self-sufficiency from this vital crop is only 3%. Additionally, Jordan suffers from low self- sufficiency in some animal products especially meat. (Figure 15). 10

28 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges The government has performed several procedures to enhance environmental resources management: Integrated sustainable development principles in government policies and programs to halt deterioration of environmental resources which includes: Increased land areas covered with forests, acres were afforested in the period ( ). Decreased the total carbon dioxide emissions per person. Increase the permissible percentage of total water resources used in the policies and national work plans to improve water quality and protect the environment and resources from deterioration; 93% of treated wastewater was used for agricultural purposes (MOPIC & UN, 2010). Expand dam and water harvesting projects and expand wastewater treatment units. Ministry of Water and Irrigation s Strategy (2009). Encouraged land protection through: Launched the National Strategy to Combat Desertification (2006). Launched the Integrated Financing Strategy to Combat Desertification in Jordan (2009). Prepared land usage plans and develop graze land in the Badia. Official direction associated with political will on the importance of protection of the environment and other environment -related issues, this resulted in: Several institutional and legislative reforms in the field of environmental resources management. Establishment of an independent Ministry for Environment in Establishment of the Environmental Police Management in (2006) (currently the Royal Management to Protect the Environment) to enhance supervision and implement the law in the field of environment protection. Established natural reservations to protect ecological systems and maintain biodiversity. The Department of Statistics executed environmental surveys to collect data concerning environmental waste and quantity of water used up by various sectors. Limited forest space in Jordan which still covers less than 1% of total area of Jordan. Irresponsible attitude towards the environment arising from human or developmental activities whether from the Government, institutions or individuals. This poses a direct threat to biodiversity and environmental balance, such activities include; investments in areas rich in biodiversity, unjust grazing and hunting, cutting down of trees and forest fires. Weakness of environment monitoring efficiency in Jordan, due to the limited capabilities of some concerned bodies especially municipalities. The pollution problem in Jordan is getting worse day after day. Jordanian cities especially Amman, Zarqa and Irbid suffer from noise pollution due to traffic congestion that these cities witness. Enhancing environmental resources management 11

29 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges Launched the climate change adaptation program to support Jordan s achievements towards the MDGs (2009). Published a system to classify endangered species, animals and wild birds (2006), whereby this system contributed to the decisions of permitting or prohibiting hunting of these species according to their existence in their habitat. Incorporated specific programs to protect biodiversity in the executive development program of the National Agenda. 12

30 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges The government has carried out several procedures to improve solid waste management: Closed down Rusaifa s landfill and established a new landfill according to international standards; Al-Ghabawi Landfill. Jordan now has 21 landfills. Waste management in the Greater Amman Municipality alone costs 12 million JDs annually. The government encouraged solid waste recycling initiatives proposed by civil society organizations such as: paper recycling, medical waste treatment, damaged batteries recycling, etc. Jordan suffers from inefficient supervision of solid waste disposal especially in-organic waste, where it is often discarded within the boundaries of Greater Amman and other municipalities and in some cases within neighborhoods. Construction activities in all regions of the Kingdom pose an increasing impediment to solid waste management. Left over construction materials and waste is dumped haphazardly. This is a result of the weak performance of the municipalities and its inefficiency in dealing with the expansion of construction sites in the Kingdom, especially in lands that are outside the official planning areas. This enforced a reality which reflects a weakness in implementing specific legislations regarding solid waste management and specifically hazardous waste. Improve solid waste managment 13

31 Topic continued / Table (1) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to the relation between population and sustained economic growth and sustainable development: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges The government has undertaken several procedures to ensure sustained usage of resources and to halt environmental deterioration: Serious work on activating environment supervision procedures to ensure biodiversity, and set up land usage plans, in addition to rehabilitation and development of graze lands in the Jordanian Badia, through implementation of: Ministry of Environment s Strategy ( ), Ministry of Water and Irrigation s Strategy (2009), the Integrated Financed Strategy to Combat Desertification in Jordan (2006). Ministry of Municipal Affairs finalized drafting comprehensive plans for development and usages of lands. Launch of the climate change adaptation program to support achievements towards the MDGs (2009) aiming at increasing Jordan s ability to face climate change and enhance its opportunities to obtain water resources while concentrating on safeguarding health and food security under the current water scarce conditions. Political commitment towards achieving sustainable development by incorporating its three dimensions: economic, social and environmental in all strategies, policies and plans. Authorization of administrative governors of all geographic region of the Kingdom (under the provisions of the effective legislations), to take on immediate actions to stop violators from abusing the environment, its components and resources until they are turned over to the courts. The Jordanian society has not yet reached a conviction on the importance of halting environmental deterioration and optimal exploitation of resources. This implies failure of the Government to disseminate awareness which should accompany policies and strategies as they are being launched, aiming at positively influencing the general attitude of individuals and national institutions towards urgent developmental issues, among which is the environmental issue and all its entitlements. Weakness in effective coordination between the entities concerned with resource management and its sustainability and halting environmental deterioration, due to overlapping of specializations and authorities which gives violators the chance to continue and persist in breaking laws that incriminate them. Achieve sustained usage of resources and halt environment deterioration. 14

32 Figure (3): Object Poverty Rates Figure Figure (4): (4): Extreme Extreme Poverty Rates Source: Household Expenditure and Income Surveys, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, Department of Statistics 16% 14% Percentage of Population 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Years Source :DOS, Income and Expenditure Family Survey FIGURE Figure (5) (5) Absolute Poverty Poverty rates rate (2010) (2010) according to to Governorate and its Evolvement and Evolvement for the period for the ( ) period ( ) Figure (6) Unemployment rates in rates Comparison in Comparison to Poverty and to Inequality Poverty ( ) and Inequality ( ) Indicator Absolute Poverty Incidence (JD) Poverty Rate 21.3% 14.2% 13% 13.3% 14.4% Source :DOS, Income and Expenditure Family Survey Y ear Unemployment Rate Male Unemployment Rate Fem ale Unemployment Rate Absolute Poverty Rate Share of Poorest Decile in National Consumption Source :DOS, Income and Expenditure Family Survey Figure FIGURE (7) (7) Economic Economic Growth Growth Rates Rate in Jordan in Jordan and the and per the capita per GDP capita (2000- GDP ( ) 2011) Figure (8) Inflation Rates in Jordan ( ) Per capita GDP (JD) at Current prices GDP Growth Rate Source: Source: Central Bank Central of Jordan Bank (2012), of Jordan Annual (2012), Statistical Annual Data (1964- Statistical Data 2011) ( ) Source: Central Bank of Jordan (2012), Annual Statistical Source: ( ) Central Bank of Jordan (2012), Annual Statistical Data ( ) 15

33 Figure (9) Development of Selected Environmental Indicators in Jordan ( ) 100% House Hus. Connected to to Water Water Network (%) 50% Hus. Connected to House Connected to Electricity Electricity Network Network (%) (%) Hus. Connected to House Connected to Sewage System(%) Sewage System (%) 0% Source: Department of Statistics: Selected indicators ( ) Figure (10) Self-sufficiency Rates of Selected Agricultural and Animal Products (2007) Source: Department of Statistics (2008), Budget and Food Security report ( ) 16

34 Reality and future priorities within the population, sustained economic growth and sustainable development domain: Jordan has realized the increased importance of the population issue and its direct and mutual linkage to sustainable development. The benefits accrued from the ongoing transformations in population variables could be utilized to push economic variables into growth. The government has adopted a number of strategies and work plans, attempting thereby to combat poverty, diminish disparity between regions, enhance food security, preserve the environment and ensure efficient management of environmental resources. This could be accompanied by a number of related legislations that aim at institutionalizing work efforts of entities concerned with issues of population and development. Jordan has also built effective partnerships with civil society and international organizations to achieve complementarily between population issues and economic growth and economic development. Partnership with the national institutions was manifested through training and rehabilitation activities which had two main objectives: raise capacities of individuals and national entities to engage in the labor market, and enhance awareness levels on vital issues especially in relation to the environment. Partnerships with external entities focused mainly on financial and technical support to launch and implement projects. Within the framework of the interrelation of population and development issues, and due to the changing demographic and economic status of Jordan and its nature, it has become imperative to adopt a number of policies and procedures in both fields; population and economy. Adopted policies and procedures should aim at maximizing the role of the population (human capital) in motivating economic growth and creating structural changes in the national economy. In addition, these measures should work towards introducing positive change and heightened interest among individuals and national institutions regarding the firm link between population and development such as poverty, unemployment, environment, income disparity and food security. Examples of these procedures and policies include: Motivating the private sector in Jordan into real partnerships with the government through embracing social responsibility especially in remote governorates. This might require motivating this sector through incentives to launch their investments there, such as various forms of tax exemptions in exchange for clear cut plans to rehabilitate and employ residents of these areas; which will contribute to the decline of poverty and unemployment rates. Augmenting efforts to enhance food security in the Kingdom. Support for grain production, as a vital commodity, is crucial and should be in the form of direct and worthwhile aid to farmers. At the same time, appropriate measures should be undertaken to salvage arable lands that are still available but threatened by unplanned construction expansion. This could be achieved through limiting allocation of arable land to usages other than farming such as construction, etc. Farmers should be obligated to follow the natural farming cycle in order to protect arable lands, fend off the danger of desertification and decrease reliance on irrigation rather than rain water. Within this context, implementation of the principle of reward and punishment is necessary. 17

35 Diligent efforts to make environmental issues and respect for nature an adopted practice and educational behavior; starting by incorporation within the educational curricula at all levels and advocating the maximization of penalties and punishments on practices that violate the environment and its components. Such punishments and penalties could include environment service where the violators are sentenced to conduct public services in the domain of preserving the environment and protecting it. The importance of institutional work to ensure optimal production and utilization of water resources in Jordan. Price-reconsideration is considered an important approach towards this objective. However, it is essential to make sure that people with low income and small consumption patterns are not affected by this re-pricing or by the elimination of government subsidy on this essential commodity. The subsequent increase in the price of water will negatively affect their welfare which is already low. Additionally, efficient water production and distribution comprise an important entry point to food security. V. Population Growth and Population Structure By the end of 2012, the total population of Jordan reached 6.38 million people (excluding Syrian refugees); (51.5%) males, (82.8%) urban population and an average population density of 71.9 person/km 2 (Department of Statistics, 2013). The population growth rate shows an interesting trend. Despite the decline in its annual average to reach (2.2%) in the period ( ), the annual growth rate is still relatively high due to the high fertility rate. Jordan has a youthful society; (37.3%) of the total population is aged 15 years or less as compared to (3.2% ) aged 65 years or more (Figure number 11). The proportion of population within the working -age (15-64 years) constitutes around (60% )/of the total population. This particular age group shoulders the burden of high dependency. In addition, unemployment poses a further challenge particularly if the unemployment rates remain elevated. On the other hand, the Kingdom could benefit from the demographic opportunity in the upcoming twenty years, whereby the proportion of working- age population as a percentage of the total population is in continuous increase. This demographic situation, if accompanied by economic growth rates that exceed population growth rates, will create more jobs in the national economy and lead to reduction in the dependency ratio. 18

36 Figure (11) Population Pyramid in Jordan (2011) (Population in thousands) Females Males Source: Department of Statistics (2012), Annual Book Official estimates indicate that Jordan is on the verge of a demographic transformation in the age composition of its population that will peak in less than two decades (Demographic Opportunity in Jordan 2009). The Demographic Opportunity occurs when the proportion of working- age population (15-64 years) largely exceeds the number of dependents (children and elderly people). It is expected that the percentage of working- age population in Jordan will reach (69% ) by 2030 as a result of the gradual decline in fertility rates in the coming years. This will eventually lead to a decrease in the dependency rates from 66 working age person to every hundred dependents at the present time to 45 persons after twenty years. The transformation in the age composition of population will reflect on all domains of life and will translate into several benefits for Jordan; provided that proper efforts for planning and preparation for the coming phase are undertaken. In addition to the economic benefits that Jordan will achieve by taking advantage of the Demographic opportunity, the size of the labor force will increase which will assist in the progress of the Jordanian economy. Furthermore, if well- studied rehabilitation and training programs are implemented, the labor market will be supplied with a qualified and trained labor force. The continuous slowdown in the decline of natural growth rate of the population and the increased immigration to the Kingdom will not give Jordan the opportunity to reach the peak of Demographic Opportunity. The waves of immigration, the forced in particular, are composed largely of youngsters and elderly people who will alter the age composition of the host country towards younger age groups. In 2011, the average population growth rate in Jordan was (2.2%) and the average rate of natural increase of the population was (2.1%). Corresponding figures for 2000 were (2.46%) and (2.29%) respectively. 19

37 The expected increase in the proportion of youth in the population is both a challenge and an opportunity; an opportunity to invest in the energy of youth to achieve sustainable development and a challenge to provide the appropriate social, economic, health and educational conditions to prepare youth for entry into the labor market equipped with the skills necessary to satisfy market needs. Unemployment rates in Jordan are quite high. In 2012, the unemployment rate for males in the age group (15-24) years was 25.2%; for females 48.8% and for both genders 29.3% (Department of Statistics, 2013; Unemployment Status in Jordan, 2012). Data produced by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2012, showed that the unemployment rate for youth (15-24) years was 12.7% worldwide. The ILO also estimated the rates for the Middle East in 2011 to be 26.9%. The study of population growth and population structure entails taking into consideration three main pillars; youth and adolescents needs, elderly needs and the needs of people with disability, all of which are interrelated and cannot be analyzed separately. Regarding people with disabilities, accurate data on this segment of society is scarce. The Disability Survey, implemented by the Department of Statistics in 2010 provides some insight into the status of people with disability in Jordan. Results showed that 7.7% of households in the Kingdom have at least one person with disability and that 59% of the disabled are males and 41% females. Distribution of people with disabilities by geographic concentration showed that 41% were located in the capital and 21% in Irbid governorate; 84% resided in urban areas compared to 16% who lived in the rural areas. Results also showed that 78.4% of the disabled were aged 15 years or more. Of those, (81%) had a low educational level (lower than high school) and most of them were economically inactive (82.2%). The unemployment rate among disabled people who are able to work was 9.4% and the revised economic activity rate was 17.8% (Department of Statistics, 2012). As for youth and adolescents, there is an urgent need for systematic programs tailored to care, motivate and train this vulnerable sector of society. Additionally, it is the country s duty and social responsibility to achieve the rights of youth and adolescents, starting with ensuring the appropriate environment suitable for a safe life, and providing real opportunities to benefit from the basic health, education and social care services. This should be complemented by the right to political and economic empowerment which could be achieved through expanding the participation base of youth and adolescents and providing them with proper job opportunities, based on their numbers and in ways that guarantee their competitiveness in the labor market, especially under the currently high youth unemployment rates particularly among females. 20

38 Official efforts to better understand the needs of youth and adolescents, and to release their capabilities are presently underway. Taking the lead in these endeavors is the Higher council for youth.the HCY is guiding national efforts to build the capacities of youth and to engage them in the diagnosis and identification of the needs and priorities of the local communities. Despite that, the unemployment rates amongst youth in Jordan are still high and their participation rates are still low. As for the elderly in Jordan, their number is small. The proportion of people aged 65 years or more doesn t exceed 3.2% of the total population. Despite that, they still need more attention, better care and further understanding of their personal needs. On that front, Jordan has worked on enabling the elderly to enjoy an independent life for as long as possible and has provided them with social services, including long term care, through ensuring their rights especially in health and social insurance. This materialized into MOH civil health insurance plan for elderly people and the entitlement to old age pension for those insured (reached sixty years of age for males and fifty five for females) under the provision of the temporary Social Security Law number (7) for Elderly people in Jordan need to feel that they are still capable of playing an active role in society. The needs of the elderly should be included under the provisions of active legislation to enforce their rights and provide them with social care and shelter services. 21

39 Topic Table (2) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to population growth and population structure: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges The Second National Youth Strategy Project ( ) The National Agenda ( ) with special consideration for youth and their needs. The We Are All Jordan document emphasized the importance of the role of youth. The Higher Council for Youth is expending continuous efforts on empowering Jordanian youth politically and increasing their awareness on civil rights and citizenship which were emphasized by the Higher Council for Youth permanent law; rehabilitating personnel working with youth; evaluating youth centers; drafting Youth Centers Development Strategy; setting up a system of clubs and youth associations; youth to youth programs; promising leadership for scouts and guides program; curricular activities for scouts and guides program; scout and guide group activities in youth centers and the leadership rehabilitation program (Ministry of Public Sector Reform, 2012). Heightened interest in empowering youth economically and providing them with a better life through: Improvement of the operational efficiency of the Training and Employment Fund and other A national priority supported by royal patronage of the youth segment through conducting discussions and meetings and encouraging youth to participate in elections and discuss policies pertaining to them. The Higher Council for Youth is the main national entity that caters for issues of youth. The Council s roles and responsibilities are numerous and are related to empowering Jordanian youth at all levels. Guarantee the right of youth and adolescents to obtain reproductive health services. Among these guarantees: drafted the HIS AIDS National Strategy ( ); the second phase of the Reproductive Health Action Plan/ Family Planning ( ) and the national Jordanian work plan for childhood. Within the pillar of HIS AIDS prevention ( ), the National Program to Combat AIDS was launched. Endorsement of the Higher Council for Youth law. Established the National Training and Employment Company in cooperation with the Jordanian Armed Forces. Persistent growth in numbers of youth at levels that exceed economic growth rates, subsequently reducing future job opportunities, due to the inability of the Jordanian economy to create new job opportunities that respond to growing number of new entrants to the labor market. The intense competition that the Jordanian youth face when it comes to foreign labor in several economic sectors, especially in the absence of effective policies to replace foreign workers with domestic labor. Jordan s declining prospects in reaching the peak of Opportunity Window by 2030 due to increased birth rates and the continued influx of immigrations to Jordan, especially the coercive ones which resulted in a 15% increase in the Kingdom s population, many of whom are youth and adolescents. Weakness in exploiting the energy of youth to engage in charity and volunteer work. Needs of Youth and Adolescents 22

40 Topic continued / Table (2) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to population growth and population structure: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges fund training programs sponsored by the private sector. Enhancement of small and medium lending program through upgrading the capacity of official lending entities and expanding the role of the private sector through fostering public partnerships with it. Jordan has implemented several procedures to deal with issues of senior citizens and their needs, of which: The National Senior Citizen Strategy (2008) which aims at improving status of elderly people in health, social, developmental, environmental and spiritual domains. Jordan s commitment in 1991, to UN principles vis-à-vis elderly people which define a number of basic senior citizen rights such as: independence, participation, care, self achievement and dignity. The issue of elderly people is repeatedly alluded to in numerous Jordanian background documents such as; the National Agenda s Executive Developmental Program ( ) and ( ), the National Family Strategy (2005), the National Jordanian Women Strategy ( ), The National Disabled Strategy ( ), We Are all Jordan has achieved the civil health insurance of senior citizen through Ministry of Health. Enhanced the role of social insurance for elderly people. Article (62) of temporary Social Security Law number (7) for 2010 confirmed the entitlement of pension salaries to any insured senior citizen who reached sixty years of age for males and fifty five for females. The Ministry of Social Development adopted a policy of outsourcing and contracting the private sector for elderly people care services. Elderly people continue to enjoy care and appreciation from the family and other social circles, this is enhanced by the teachings Islam and the habits ingrained within the Jordanian society. Services provided to elderly people in Jordan are concerned with basic needs such as nutrition, health and social insurance. Despite the importance of these needs, services should be broadened to cover other aspects such entertainment, cultural and human activities to ensure comprehensive well being of the elderly. The social attitude towards elderly people s homes in Jordan is still indefinite. Shelter and care for the elderly is a national duty. It should be a joint public and private effort aiming to support this segment of society. Policy makers have limited information on the economic, social and health characteristics of elderly people in Jordan, as well as their living conditions. Issues and needs of elderly people 23

41 Topic continued / Table (2) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to population growth and population structure: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges Jordan work plan, senior citizens who lost family support care, the National Communication and Media Strategy ( ) and the Opportunity Window document Jordan has undertaken several procedures in order to respond to the needs of the disabled, of which: Jordan is considered to be one of the first countries to sign in (2007) and ratify in (2008) the UN principle treaty regarding people with disabilities: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Established the Higher Council for People with Disabilities in 2007 to act as the main point of reference to issues of disability. Jordan approved the People with Disability Law number 31 for Jordan endorsed the National Strategy for People with Disabilities Jordan committed and Since many years to improving the life of people with disabilities through: Moving forward in the customs exemption system granted to this segment. Cooperaing and coordinaing with national and international civil society organizations to implement special programs targeting people with disabilities. Providing government incentives to ensure commitment of private sector institutions to their social responsibility towards issues of disability. Several academic programs concerned rehabilitation in official and private universities at both the undergraduate and post graduate levels, such as Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Jordan. Serious institutional work to integrate disabled children within the public educational system and to ensure that they are not excluded because of their disability. Attempts to establish and develop Failure of systems of care of provided by both the private and public sector to meet the needs of the people with disabilities in Jordan, due to the limited expenditure on the care and rehabilitation of the disabled. The dire need for technically qualified cadres to care for people with disabilities, including proper and early diagnoses, in particular pre-natal identification of disability. The lack of periodic surveys or censuses of people with disabilities, which interferes with accurate identification of their number, location and needs.. Needs of people with disability 24

42 Topic continued / Table (2) Extent of progress that Jordan has achieved in dealing with ICPD domains allied to population growth and population structure: Developmental Efforts Achieved Institutional Structure Challenges infrastructure and public utilities to respond to the needs of people with disabilities to facilitate their everyday life and their inclusion in society. Granting certain cases of disabilities exemptions, whether to enroll in higher education institutions or to integrate them in public jobs or as membership in municipal or local boards. Needs of people with disability 25

43 Reality and future priorities within the population growth and population structure domains: The population pyramid in Jordan is based on a large base of people in the young age groups. Economic and social changes witnessed in Jordan and across the region over time, especially in the past three decades, translated into a decline in natural population growth rates. This alerted Jordan to give the issue of investing in the Demographic Opportunity careful consideration. It is estimated that the fruits of this opportunity would be ready to reap by 2030, under the assumption of zero net migration to the Kingdom. However, methodological circumstances and absence of accurate data on the status of migration to and from Jordan makes this assumption theoretically irrational. The population pyramid reflects the population age structure, which defines accordingly the consumption patterns of the society and its demand on goods and services. The population pyramid also defines the labor supply in the national economy and rates of economic participation. The Jordanian society is witnessing deep demographic transformations. Immigration to the Kingdom has increased; currently, there are more than 300 thousand foreign workers in the Kingdom. Moreover, and for the past two years, Jordan has received and is still receiving forced migrations from neighboring countries due to the political turmoil there, which consequently has affected the age composition of the population and the duration that Jordan needs to enter the demographic opportunity. These migrations have also affected the labor force supply, diminished job opportunities available to Jordanian youth and contributed to increased unemployment rates. Within this context, it is anticipated that burdens of dependency will increase; in line with the expectation that unemployment rates will escalate and for a long time to come. People with disability need special care and rehabilitation to release their potential. It becomes imperative, particularly within the receding role of the public sector in the national economy and various aspects of public expenditure, to award this segment of the Jordanian society special consideration and attention. The government should include care for people with disabilities within Jordan s initiatives to invest in human capital. At this stage, it is important to note the following issues: The natural increase of the population poses a developmental threat to the population age structure. Despite the decline in the rate of natural increase from 2.85% in 1995 to 2.16% in 2000 to reach 2.1%in 2011 (Department of Statistics, 2012), it is still a high. This coincides with huge challenges imposed by the continuous migrations into Jordan. Whereas labor migrations concentrate among the youthful and productive age groups, forced migrations consist mainly of children and elderly people, which play a role in changing the population composition. It is important to give people with disabilities more attention and provide them with the necessary health care and social support. Efforts to prevent disabilities should start by raising awareness of the role of consanguineous marriages in disability and the importance of pre-marital tests to rule out genetic diseases. Pregnant mothers should be encouraged to conduct periodic pre-natal checkups. 26

44 The government should identify ways to increase the resources allocated for the care and rehabilitation of people with disabilities. This could be achieved through motivating the private sector with different forms of incentives so as to increase their sense of social responsibility towards this segment of society. It is crucial to pay more attention to the care of the youth. This could be approached through launching projects and initiatives that increase employment opportunities especially for females, increase the efficiency of vocational training programs and enhance reproductive health and family planning programs so as to reduce fertility rates. VI. Urbanization and Internal Migration According to the classification of the Department of Statistics, urban areas are communities with a population of 5000 people or more. In 2011, the total urban population in Jordan was 5.2 million people (82.6% of the population) versus 1.9 million in the rural areas (17.4% of the total population). This imbalance in the distribution of the population in Jordan is reflected in a parallel imbalance in the distribution of the urban population. The percentage of urban population in the capital is 94%, in Zarqa 94.5% and 82.9% in Irbid. The lowest urban population is found in Karak governorate (35.5%) followed by Mafraq (39.2%). The urban population in the capital comprises 44.1% of the total urban population in the Kingdom and if we add the urban population of Irbid and Zarqa governorates, the percentage will total to 79%. (Department of Statistics, 2012). As for internal migration in Jordan, studies and information are mostly non-existent, except for one study that attempted to measure this phenomenon (Abu Sabha & Anbar, 2010). The study was based on the results of the Population and Housing Census (2004) and it showed that around 88 thousand people had migrated from their place of birth to other areas in the Kingdom; of which people migrated from the countryside to the center of governorates and people migrated from the rural to urban areas other than governorate centers. The study also showed that the central region of the Kingdom attracts people more than either the northern or southern regions. This is attributed to the concentration of economic activity, ministries and public institutions in the central region, in addition to the availability of public services such as health, education, and transportation, etc. More than two thirds of internal migrants went to Amman and Zarqa; whereby migrants to Zarqa composed 28.5% of its total population. Figure (12) shows the population rates of urban communities to the total population of each governorate with the percentage of the governorate s total population to the Kingdom s total population. 27

45 Figure (12) Relation between percentage of urban area population in governorates and percentage of all governorates population to the total Kingdom population Source: Department of Statistics (2012), Annual Statistics Book, Reality and future priorities related to urbanization and internal migration: Economic and social developments in the capital, Amman, have reflected on the accelerated growth of its population and the size of construction in it. In 2011 for example, the percentage of production in the construction sector in the capital alone was 91.6%. In the same year, the capital accounted for 39.4% of the number of finished buildings, 36.1% of total buildings in the Kingdom and 57.7% of the total number of finished housing units. This affirms the association between urbanization, construction and internal migration (Department of Statistics, 2012). Today, Jordan s strategic planning priorities should focus on genuine regional development in various governorates. The demand conditions that prevail in these areas should receive serious consideration when creating development projects or when motivating the private sector to take on this responsibility. Development efforts at the governorate and regional levels will slow down the pace of internal migration towards the capital and other urban centers. The government has to work diligently and on all possible measures to increase economic return on the production sectors especially the agricultural sector, in order to preserve way of life of rural population. This can be achieved through tax and fee exemptions for rural residents, even if it calls for direct support of agricultural production especially that of small scale farmers. 28

46 Jordan s efforts to respond to the imbalanced pattern of population increase are already in motion. The Housing and Urban Development Corporation is moving forward in its mission to cover all housing-related issues; organization and usage of housing lands; housing production, housing renting; housing financing and legislations that organize housing. The government has to reconsider arable land expansion policies which levels the exceed rates of population growth. The current policy resulted in a new phenomenon where cities spread out and become attached to neighboring cities. This has created an extra burden on the Greater Amman Municipality, other municipalities and regional authorities and has infringed on Jordan s population and urbanization equation. VII. International Migration and Development International migration is considered to be one of the most important population issues due to its close and complex correlation with almost all dimensions of development. International migration implies that individuals or groups of people are moving from one country to another for varied reasons; economic as in the case of labor migration or forced for reasons beyond the control of the immigrants themselves. Since its independence, Jordan has witnessed both forms of migration. The country received waves of forced migration due to the Arab Israeli war; in 1948, when thousand refugees entered the country (UNRWA, 2013), and again in 1967 where about 200 thousand people sought refuge from the West Bank into the Kingdom (The Higher Ministerial Committee, 1967). Jordan also received forced migrations from Lebanon due to the Israeli attacks in Following the second Gulf war in 1991, approximately 300 thousand Jordanian expatriates along with some Iraqi migrants returned from the Arab Gulf. The numbers of Iraqis multiplied after the Iraq war in 2003, and by 2007, the number of Iraqi migrants approached 450 thousand people (FAO, 2007). In 2011, Jordan started receiving large numbers of Syrian refugees due to the deterioration of Syria s internal situation. The number of Syrians in Jordan until end of May 2013 was estimated to be around one million people; the majority were refugees (Ministry of Interior, 2013). The most important form of migration to Jordan is labor migration which is facilitated by Jordan s adoption, in 1973, of the open door policy in exporting and receiving labor. In the following years, this policy achieved increased demand for Jordanian workers in the traditional markets that usually import Jordanian labor especially the Gulf States. In 2010, the number of Jordanians working abroad was estimated to be around 400 thousand persons (Higher Population Council, 2011). Labor migration into Jordan started in 1973 with a humble number of 376 workers. This number increased rapidly to approach 79.8 thousand in 1980 and 165 thousand in

47 1. 2. In the following years, the pace of labor migration accelerated to reach thousand in 2000, and thousand in 2011 (Ministry of Labor 2012, & Athamneh, 2008). The problem of migration is connected to developmental issues through a number of interlinked channels with a variety of end results that vary in size and extent of influence on both the short and long term levels, of which: Migrations to any country can lead to an increase in the size of its population and consequently intensify pressure on infrastructure and public services and utilities. The immigrants in the host community usually receive a share from total expenditure that is almost equal to that of the citizens. In this regard, one study has estimated that Syrians residing in Jordan had cost the country, till the end of 2012, around 590 million JDs (Social Economic Council, 2013). Migrations to any country increase the available labor supply in both the short and the long term. Foreign labor acts as a source of competition and rivals domestic labor for job opportunities. Figure (13) shows the proportion of registered foreign workers to the Jordanian labor force for the period ( ). This proportion did not witness any appreciable decline during this period which raises important questions as to the efficacy of official procedures in organizing the labor market especially replacing foreign workers with Jordanians. Figure (13) Development of Percentage of Registered Foreign Workers to the Jordanian Labor Force for the period ( ) 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Source: Ministry of Labor. Annual Report (different years) International migrations could lead to an increase in demand on goods and services, thereby increasing total demand at levels that surpass the increase in total supply. This is particularly true in situations of unexpected forced migration which create an inflationary gap in the national economy and elevate living expenses. Migrations, specifically labor migrations, affect the status of the balance of payments in the host country, through ingoing and outgoing remittances. In the case of Jordan, remittances of Jordanians abroad exceed the outgoing non-jordanian remittances quite substantially. In 2011, incoming remittances reached million JDs versus million JDs in those outgoing. 30

48 Figure (14) explains the development in percentage of outgoing remittances to the incoming ones in the period ( ). Figure (14) Development in Percentage of Outgoing Remittances to the Incoming ones in the period ( ) Source: Central Bank of Jordan (2013), Annual statistical data ( ) Reality and future priorities regarding international migration and development: Jordan is considered one of the countries in the world and in the region to be most affected by the different forms of migration. At the present time, the proportion of immigrants to the total population of the Kingdom is on the rise due to the two -year continuous influx of Syrian refugees, alongside the invariable labor immigration to the Kingdom. The number of registered foreign workers reached persons in 2012 (Ministry of Labor 2012). This complex state of affairs imposed additional developmental burdens on Jordan due to its central geographic location in tension areas of the region. Jordan is considered to be a country that attracts migrations due to its political and security stability. Jordan continues to follow the open door policy in exporting and importing labor, thus benefiting from the discrepancy between incoming and outgoing remittances. Jordan is endeavoring to manage the issue of migration with all its economic, political and security ramifications efficiently and in a balanced out manner, through interlinking the efforts of ministries and entities involved with migration and its various issues: Ministry of Labor, Public Security Department, Ministry of Interior, Higher Population Council, Department of Statistics, Social Security Corporation and others. To enhance these efforts, Jordan fostered partnerships with many concerned international organizations to secure technical and financial support to the national initiatives and projects aimed at managing issues of migration and immigrants. Partnerships with the International Migration Organization (IMO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), the UNHCR, UNRWA, UNFPA and other bodies provided Jordan with the assistance needed to raise its capacity to deal with the reality and issues of migration. 31

49 Jordan awards protection of migrants rights due consideration as evident by signing numerous labor agreements with some Arab countries. Furthermore, the Kingdom signed, in 1998, the memorandum of understanding with the UNHCR which aimed at regulating roles and responsibilities of Jordan as a host country, the immigrants themselves and UNHCR as an observer and sponsor. This memorandum assured the refugees many rights and Jordan has come a long way in dealing with migrants in a spirit that respects human rights, foremost is the principle of no reply to refugees when they cross the borders. As such, Jordan is implementing the essence of the 1951 agreement on defining the position of the refugee in the international law even though Jordan is not a party to that agreement. Within this context, Jordan affirms the protection of migrants from human rights violations, racism, racial intolerance and hatred towards foreigners. Jordan implements the Prohibiting Human Trafficking law number (9) for Moreover, Jordan is trying to improve the quality of data on migrants to and in the Kingdom through strengthening the partnership with some international organizations, especially UNFPA. Jordan is planning to undertake a survey on International migration and Jordan. In 2012, the Higher Population Council issued an analytical report on the status of migration data in Jordan in cooperation with local and international entities concerned with migration issues. To ensure benefiting from the issue of migration and utilizing its consequences to achieve sustainable development, it is crucial for Jordan to perform many procedures in the short term: Adopt a clear cut national strategy, complete with specific procedures for regulation of the labor market, to replace foreign workers with Jordanians which will reduce unemployment rates among Jordanians and decrease the outgoing remittances from foreign workers to their countries. Merge the different authorities that produce migration data into one specialized technical entity that is able to transform data into information that policy makers can utilize in developmental planning. This includes developing a system to monitor migration data from all border entry points and link them electronically and periodically. The iris scan could be used as an effective method to assess migrants numbers and overcome count duplication. This entity will be the main point of reference with complete authority over migration data and will organize its inputs along with the other concerned national entities. Extend all efforts to invest in Jordan s political and diplomatic relations to expand external demand base for Jordanian labor, especially in the traditional markets (Gulf countries). This will require rehabilitation of unemployed and employed Jordanians in line with the professional and technical needs of both the local and international labor markets. Jordan, and in coordination with other countries and concerned international organizations, continues to work on issues of migration to ensure support for its developmental efforts at all levels. Jordan needs this coordination because on its own, it will not be able to achieve its developmental objects particularly if the economic and social problems increase. 32

50 VIII. Family and Welfare of Societies The family is considered to be one of the most important social and group structures. It is the individual s main reference point and within it, values and human standards are polished. The pivotal role of the family is susceptible to transformation in response to the circumstances of the society and the nature of its development. The family in Jordan wasn t spared the change, as evidenced by the decrease in the average family size from 6.1 persons in 1994 to 5.4 persons in 2011 (Department of Statistics, 1995 & 2012). This noticeable decline could be attributed to the demographic transformations which manifested as a decline in the rate of natural increase of the population subsequent to the decline in the total fertility rate. This decline is brought about by the delay in age at first marriage, use of family planning methods, female participation in the workforce and lower fertility rates among working females.the effect of demographic changes was also enhanced by economic factors which led to the deterioration of economic conditions of the families. Despite all this, total fertility rate increased from 3.6 child / woman of reproductive age in 2007 to 3.8 in The rate dropped to 3.5 child / woman in The issue of society welfare is directly linked to the prevailing economic conditions. The total economic indicators in Jordan point to serious challenges that face the welfare of the Jordanian society, of which: Jordan s national economy is characterized by oscillating growth rate patterns despite the increase in the per capita GDP (Figure 15). The Jordanian economy witnessed high inflation rates accompanied with continuous increase in prices of main goods especially fuel (Figure 8) and (Figure 16). Jordan suffers from high poverty rates both at the national and governorate level which hinders the ability of individuals and groups to realize their life commitments; thus decreasing their welfare level which is already humble. Relative increase in unemployment rates in Jordan and especially among females. The unemployment rate for 2012 reached (12.2%); 10.4% for males and 19.9% for females (Department of Statistics, 2013). In 2011, the percentage of unemployed for more than a year from all unemployed was (41.7%). Age specific unemployment rate for age group (15-24) years was (48.1%). Female welfare in Jordan is more threatened than males, not only due to the high female unemployment rates, but also because the percentage of women within the labor force is extremely low. In 2011 for example, female participation was (18.5%) and women formed just (16.8%) of the total employed in the Jordanian economy which affects the ability of women to secure an average income that ensures their welfare in society. Low economic activity rates in Jordan can be added to the above. The crude economic activity rate reached (24.6%) in 2012 (39.3% for males and 9.2% for females) whereas the revised economic activity rate for that year was 38% (61.3% for males versus 14.1% for females) (Department of Statistics, 2013). 33

51 7- The poverty phenomenon in Jordan shows continuous expansion. Between 2008 and 2010, the food poverty line per annum per person increased from 292 JDs to 336 JDs and the general poverty line per annum per person increased from 680 JDs to 814 JDs; although the average annual household income for the same years has increased from 7911 JDs to 8842 JDs respectively. This was also accompanied with an increase in the per capita GDP from 2666 JDs to 3069 JDs respectively and was reflected in an increase in the family per capita expenditure on consumption from 8617 JDs to 9240 JDs respectively (Poverty Reduction Strategy, 2012). Figure (15) Economic Growth Rates in Jordan and the per capita GDP ( ) Per capita GDP (JD) at Current prices GDP Growth Rate Source: Central Bank of Jordan (2013), Annual statistical data ( ) Figure (16) Development of Fuel Prices in Jordan ( ) Diesel (Fils/ Liter) Kerosene (Fils/ Liter) Gasoline, Unleaded 95 (Fils/ Liter) Gasoline, Unleaded 90 (Fils/ Liter) Source: Central Bank of Jordan (2013), Annual statistical data ( ) 34

52 Reality and future aspirations regarding family and society welfare: Jordan adopted a number of strategies and procedures that aim at empowering the Jordanian family as the building block of society as well as improving children s welfare levels. The Social Security Law (7) for 2010 included new forms of insurance; maternity insurance and unemployment insurance. Additionally, the National Council for Family Affairs was established under the provision of law number (27) for The Council functions as the umbrella to support, coordinate and facilitate the activities of the various stakeholders (government and non-government entities, private sector and international agencies) working on family issues to achieve a better future for the Jordanian family. In 2006, the Council released the National Framework for Family Protection and raised public awareness on family violence (National Family Affairs Council, 2006). Within the framework of institutional work, various strategies were issued and several programs that aim at enhancing the role of the family and its protection and raise its welfare level were set up. Examples of these measures include the National Family Affairs Council s Strategy ( ), different strategies of different ministries, the Protection and Social Protection Program, the Financial and In-Kind Support Program sponsored by the National Aid Fund and others On the economic level, the government is working on the Poverty Reduction Strategy in Jordan in cooperation with the UNDP; it also provides financial support to vulnerable groups to alleviate the negative impact of the elimination of fuel subsidies. This same process is expected to be repeated once reconsideration of the price of electricity goes into effect, to ensure that citizens in the lower categories are not affected. The Social Security Corporation represents the social protection umbrella for the citizens in Jordan. The Corporation has taken huge strides towards achieving its goals in social protection. Currently, the Corporation covers more than one million working participants, employed in (67) thousand establishments in the public and private sectors. The Corporation also pays pension salaries to more than (143) thousand retirees distributed over different forms of pension plans. The coverage of optional social insurance for workers abroad and for individuals at their own expense (two newly introduced types of social insurance) has reached to more than (63) thousand participants. The percentage of persons insured under the umbrella of the social security to the number of employed in the Kingdom is around (66%) (Social Security Corporation, 2013). Jordan s priorities regarding family and social welfare encompass adopting policies of providing direct support to families and individuals so as to maintain their consumption levels of goods and basic services. Given that the government is going through with its plans to liberalize prices of goods and services, especially under the current unprecedented budget deficit that Jordan is going through, these policies become crucial. 35

53 The government should work hard on diminishing the discrepancy in the distribution of income through revisiting tax policies. Taxes on banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and large companies should be readjusted to their pervious higher levels. This would reduce the effect of the budget deficit and provide the necessary funding to support poor people and people with limited income and halt poverty expansion in Jordan. IX. Rights, Reproductive Health, Disease and Mortality Ever since its independence and to this day, Jordan has achieved remarkable progress in the field of health care. Expenditure on health services witnessed an enormous increase due to the expansion in the number of hospitals and health care centers in all geographic locations of the Kingdom; thus improvement in the quality and outreach services to cover a larger segment of population. The number of hospitals in Jordan increased from 103 in 2007 to 106 in 2011 with a parallel growth in the number of hospital beds from to consecutively. The population per bed rate also increased from 519 to 521 consecutively. Clinics and health centers of the Ministry of Health (MOH) increased in number from 1380 to As regards the expenditure on health as part of total expenditure in Jordan, the MOH budget formed 5.56% of the total public budget in This proportion was raised to 6.28 in 2012 (Ministry of Health, 2013). Table (3) shows the development of selected health indicators in Jordan between 2007 and The table implies that between 2007 and 2012 the quality of health care and health services has improved which is reflected in the health indicators. Additionally, Jordan has implemented several reproductive health and family planning plans under the National Population Strategy and the Second National Plan for Reproductive Health/Family Planning ( ), the National Communication and Health Media Strategy ( ), the Third Reproductive Health Action Plan/Family Planning ( ), the Women Health Strategy and draft of the National HIV AIDS Strategy Plan ( ). The improvement of health care services in Jordan is reflected in the development of some important health indicators particularly birth rates, child and maternal mortality rates, and the rate of utilization of family planning methods. However, other health indicators such as life expectancy, crude mortality rate, rate of doctors per 1000 population, hospital mortality rate, percent vaccinated at (12-23) months of age, rate of utilization of modern family planning methods and the unmet need of family planning services, did not show any tangible improvement. Figure (17) shows the trends of the total fertility rate ( ). 36

54 Table (3) Development of Selected Health Indicators in Jordan ( ) Indicator Total fertility rate (l birth/woman in reproductive age ) Life expectancy at birth for males (year) Life expectancy at birth for females (year) Crude Death rate / 1000 population Infant mortality rate / 1000 live birth Maternal mortality rates / live birth 19.1 N/A (2009)* Doctor / of population The proportion of deaths that occur in hospitals (%) Contraceptive prevalence rate (%) Percentage of using modern family planning methods (%) Percentage of using traditional family planning methods (%) Unmet need for family planning services 11.9** 11.2 (2009) Proportion of deliveries attended by a skilled health personnel (%) Percentage of those receiving prenatal health assistance from a health expert (%) Percentage of child vaccinations at (12-23) months of age (%) Source: Ministry of Health, Annual report *: Higher Population Council, National Maternity Mortality Study in Jordan ( ) **: Department of Statistics, Population and Family Health Survey for the years 2007, 2009,

55 Figure (17) Trend of Total Fertility Rate in Jordan ( ) Total Fertility Rate Source: Department of Statistics, Annual Statistical Publication, ( ) Reality and future priorities within the rights and reproductive health, diseases and mortality domain: Although Jordan has made considerable progress in improving health services and health care in the Kingdom, there are obstacles facing this sector. Foremost of these obstacles is the weakness of the financial capabilities to increase spending on health services at rates exceeding the rates of population growth, considering the significant increase of the population brought about by the forced migrations to Jordan since This imposed additional burdens on health spending, especially in light of the growing health needs of the refugees in Jordan. Jordan has recognized free health insurance services for children under the age of six, as well as for the elderly, allowing for new segments of society to benefit from this service. Despite this, many segments of the Jordanian society are still outside the umbrella of health insurance, especially those who are employed by small business enterprises, the self-employed or workers in the informal sector (non-formal). This, of course, reduces their ability to benefit from health care services; given the high out of pocket cost, low per capita income ( JDs in 2011) and high unemployment rate (12.9% in 2011). The partnership between the public and private sectors still focuses on the dissemination of culture and community awareness, the importance of prevention of communicable diseases, and promotion of programs of reproductive health and family planning. These actions, though very important, are not enough. Reinforcing cooperation in providing medical services to those with no health insurance is a must especially in emergency conditions. Additionally, partnership efforts should focus on enhancing the availability of trained medical cadres in remote areas as well as strengthening the role of nongovernmental organizations in providing comprehensive family planning services, including Jordanian Association for Family Planning and Protection. 38

56 4- There is aneed for awareness campaigns to exert positive influence on attitudes of individuals and families in respect to certain false beliefs, customs and traditions that oppose family planning and reproductive health. Additionally, the campaigns should elicit the help of religious leaders (imams, preachers, clerics) and benefit from their role in initiating the desired positive change. Moreover, Jordan has achieved other accomplishments pertaining to ICPD themes and within health and reproductive rights, mortality and morbidity domains, such as: Empowering women to obtain the right advice and accurate information about reproductive health. Enabling people living in Jordan, whatever their legal status might be, to have access to maternal and child health services, public sector rescue and emergency services, and free MOH family planning services. Empowering people with disabilities to get comprehensive reproductive health services. Controlling the risk of HIV transmission both to individuals and from mother-to-child. Providing medical support for adolescents and young newlyweds, including reproductive health services and the implementation of awareness programs for young couples. Considerable efforts to ensure early detection of breast cancer and push for treatment. Preventing unsafe abortions and criminalizing the perpetrators in accordance with the provisions of the law. X. Population, Development and Education Education and investment in human capital are one of the most important national priorities in Jordan. Since the era of independence, Jordan has constitutionally guaranteed free compulsory education in the primary stages (10 years). Jordan aspires to achieve an educational environment conducive to knowledge economy within a participatory framework involving all agencies overseeing the educational process in Jordan; government, private sector, UNRWA, in addition to religious education. Jordan has implemented many educational strategies and policies; the National Strategy for Education ( ) is the most recent. It is worth noting that Jordan has achieved the second Millennium Development Goal of universal attainment of primary education, which paves the way to take advantage of the opportunities available for investment in human capital in Jordan. The official interest in education included serious consideration of the needs of students in schools both in terms of nutrition, health and other needs. In this respect, the government has launched a school feeding program for the first essential grades in 1999, and has paid close attention to school health. For example, the total number of students who received a medical checkup during the academic year 2010/2011 was students in 4789 schools; illness cases were detected (Department of Statistics, 2012). Expenditure on education in Jordan ranks second; the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces receives the largest share from expenditures. In 2011, the budget of the Ministry of Education accounted for 11% of the total budget of Jordan, and the number of teachers for the academic year 2011/2012 reached The keen interest in education has translated into remarkable decline of illiteracy rates in Jordan, as shown in Figure (18). 39

57 Figure (18) Illiteracy Rates by Gender for Population (15 years and over) ( ) Illiteracy Rates between males Illiteracy Rates between Females Source: Department of Statistics, Annual Statistical Publication ( ) Furthermore, the educational sector in Jordan has accomplished several important quantitative and qualitative achievements (Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, 2013), including: Education in Jordan has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa, as indicated by the World Bank report: The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (February 2008). In the Global Competitiveness Report (2007/2008), Jordan ranked 25th on Spending on Education, 37th on the Quality of Education and 47th on the Quality of Math and Science Education indices. According to the Global Monitoring Report on Education for All (2008), Jordan ranked first among Arab countries and fourth worldwide, with a medium probabilistic level to achieve the Education for All goals. Noting that the report covered 129 countries of the World, Jordan ranked (55th ) on the probability of achieving Education for All Development Index. Higher education in Jordan has witnessed important developments in the last three decades. Presently, there are 27 universities in Jordan, including 10 public universities. The number of students reached students including graduate students (master s and doctorate levels). The total number of faculty members in all universities reached 8285 persons for the academic year 2011/2012. Jordan has stepped up efforts towards qualitative restructuring of institutions of higher education. National universities, under provisions of the law, are national institutions that are financially and administratively independent and enjoy legal personality status. 40