AMMAN — The
Ministry of Environment is seeking to activate the role of civil society
organizations in Jordan and fix any dents in regulations which may hamper the
direct involvement of environmentalists in matters of concern.
اضافة اعلان
Under the
endeavor, Minister of Environment
Muawieh Al-Radaideh met with members of the
Environmental Associations Committee (EAC) last Tuesday, when the group spoke
about hinderances which limit their active participation, primarily overlapping
between various ministries.
The minister
heard the opinions and suggestions made by the committee, which is comprised of
24 members and represents the 160 environmental organizations across Jordan,
ministry spokesperson Ahmad Obeidat told Jordan News.
A ministry
statement said the committee proposed to Radaideh to “institutionalize its
duties to enable it to prepare and execute ministry plans in its capacity as an
active strategic partner in a sustainable environmental protection system.”
Obeidat said the minister presented an action
plan in that regard, but did not provide details. He said, However, that the
action plan will be implemented in partnership with EAC to activate its role in
preparing programs and plans launched by the ministry and executing them.
Chairman of the
Jordan Environmental Union (JEU) Omar Al-Shoshan said similar concerns were
voiced in a union study conducted in the third part of last year.
Entitled
“Assessment on Public Policy Development and Monitoring Environment in the
Environment Sector in Jordan”, the assessmental is a component under the Agency
for Technical Cooperation and Development, commonly known as ACTED.
The group is a
French humanitarian non-governmental organization. ACTED is committed to
supporting people in urgent need and promoting inclusive and sustainable
growth.
Shoshan said the
EU-funded component under ACTED’s Jordan Guardians Project, was carried out by
independent environmental experts, representatives of NGOs working in the
targeted sectors, and decision-makers in the government institution.
According to the
assessment, a copy of which was made available to Jordan News,
public policy development in Jordan “follows a top-down approach with minimum
engagement of civil society members and academics.”
Another
challenge lies in the limitations imposed on organization, which restricts
their participation in designing and implementing programs related to public
policy-making in Jordan, according to the assessment.
Additionally, it
noted, civil society institutions have insufficient technical capacities and
skills related to policy development and monitoring. This includes how to
approach authorities for policy monitoring, understanding of policy
implementation mechanisms, and/or policy development processes, as well as
networking and coordination skills with relevant stakeholders.
“Environmental
problems are not taken seriously in the plans of successive governments,”
declared Shoshan, whose JEU is a national advocacy front of nine of Jordan’s
most active environmental NGOs who cover all of Jordan’s environmental sectors
and whose projects span the Kingdom. They promote environmental stewardship and
conservation, as well as economic and social development.
“The issues are
being generalized, this leads to a lack of continuity and sustainability of
many efforts,” Shoshan added.
Chairman of
Green Generation Foundation Dheaya Al-Rousan said NGOs are deprived of
financial support, specifically from the environment ministry.
Rousan also
pointed to what he said was a protracted process undertaken by the government
to approve international funds to NGOs, which results in delaying their work
and affecting the timeline for the implementation of scheduled plans under
their obligations.
Obeidat, the
ministry spokesperson, countered. He cited the Enviro-Fund established in 2009
to extend support for NGOs, saying that environmentalist groups can submit a
funding proposal to a state technical committee for approval.
The spokesperson
attributed the delay in approving international funds on the verification
process for reasons, which include fighting terrorism. He said the process,
from receipt of the money to releasing the funds, “doesn’t take longer than one
month in most cases”.
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