The report highlights the essential role played by micro;; small and medium enterprises in the promotion of human development in the country;; and through four main pillars;; namely economic growth;; that is inclusive and pro-poor;; social progress;; participation;; empowerment throw micro finance;; and environmental sustainability. The report consists of eight chapters dealing with: the concept of human development through small and medium enterprises;; human development in Jordan;; economic growth;; social progress;; empowerment;; the role of microfinance to empower less advantaged groups;; and a chapter on sustainable development.

Many reports talk about poverty and the poor;; but few actually provide the space for the poor themselves to take centre stage and to talk about their lives. Jordan’s second National Human Development Report redresses this imbalance. It places the poor at the centre of analysis and attempts to capture the diverse and dynamic characteristics of poverty through the eyes of the poor themselves. A major theme of the report is that the considerable human development gains that have been achieved at the macro-level in Jordan have yet to trickle down to many sub-groups among the poor. The report provides detailed recommendations to accelerate this process and to enhance positive outcomes for the poor.