The Millenium Development Goals Report has been prepared through the active participation of the Jordanian Government and the UN Country Team. As scorekeeper of the MDGs;; UNDP supported the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in this joint endeavor. The objectives of this report are to create a baseline situation;; monitor progresses made to date;; and indicate what should be done in order to achieve the MDGs. The concluding section of fostering global cooperation gives an overview of national efforts to strengthen the basis and improve the environment for developing strong partnerships to achieve macroeconomic stability and other important national objectives.

The second phase of the Program Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy Program (ERfKE II) continues to build on the achievements of the first phase and follow the same implementation arrangements that have proven to be successful in (ERfKE I);; and in the same time;; focuses on schools as the locus of change as well as on the need to enhance capacity building at the central and field levels. The development objective of (ERfKE II) is to provide students enrolled in pre-tertiary education institutions in Jordan with increased levels of skills to participate in knowledge economy. Also the Mid-Term review highlighted the concrete progress achieved by (ERfKE II) in several key areas related to policy development;; quality of education interventions and school construction;; and identified the key issues as a summary of the overall progress that will be tackled and addressed during the remaining stage of implementation.

This report explores the role of Small and Medium-Enterprises (SME);; as an agent for sustainable human development in Jordan. It analyzes SMEs and their contribution to human development using fours key central pillars of human development;; namely: economic growth that is equitable and pro-poor;; social progress;; participation and empowerment through micro finance;; and environmental sustainability. The report analyses the link between SMEs and empowerment or lack thereof;; with a specific focus on the two issues of employment;; as a tool for empowerment;; and the capacity of SMEs to enhance the position of women within the workforce and home. The report findings were based on extensive research;; a survey of 1;;500 firms and focus groups discussions conducted across the governorates of Jordan. The report proposed general recommendations in terms of institutional coordination;; exports;; cluster groups;; quality standard;; government monitoring;; tax law;; local development;; youth empowerment and the increase of minimum wage.

This annual report comes to diagnose the situation of human rights in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 2010;; and to point out the positive or negative changes that have occurred during that period. The report comprises the outcome of the accumulated experiences of the Center in the field of protecting civil;; political;; economic;; social and cultural rights. It also comprises a qualitative addition represented in the devotion of an axis related to the assessment of how serious the Government is in taking appropriate legislative;; judicial and executive measures needed to implement the recommendations by the treaty committees. The main themes are: Civil and Political Rights;; Economic;; Social and Cultural Rights;; Women's Rights;; Child Rights;; Rights of Persons with Disability;; Rights of the Elderly. The report proposes legislations;; policies and measures that are believed to contribute to changing the current situation of Human Rights for the better;; especially in the light of the rapid developments taking place in the Arab region.

This study aims to demonstrate the rights of disabled people stated by the legislator. The study shows the extent to which state and civil society institutions adhere to the implementation of applicable legislations related to people with disabilities.

This report provides an overview of the status of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Jordan;; Lebanon;; Sudan;; and Syria. It examines the contextual factors influencing ECCE;; highlighting current policies;; challenges;; and strategies for improvement and expansion. The report underscores the paucity and limitations of available data. Findings show that ECCE services have improved but regional disparity and dominance of the private sector prevail. None of the four countries but Jordan has a full-fledged national strategy and policy on ECCE. Challenges identified include lack of qualified teachers;; societal misconceptions about the unique features of early childhood;; and lack of research-based studies. Innovative projects show that NGOs have been instrumental in addressing the needs of marginalized children.

This report was compiled from the findings and case studies presented at a workshop held on 5-6 December 2004;; in Cairo Egypt. This report contains an overview on global trends and regional analyses;; implementing legislated quotas for women;; quota adopted by political parties;; methods on enhance women’s participation;; and the role of the international community and international instruments. The international IDEA had convened a series of regional workshops to gather qualitative data. The report also has 6 case studies about women’s participation and quota include comparative experiences with quotas;; address the culture challenges to women’s representation in the Arab world;; and point the opportunities that could be seized in order to meet those challenges.