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Q&A
 UESTIONS &  NSWERS
UNICEF Jordan Country Office
In brief, what is the history of the UNICEF Jordan Country Office ?
UNICEF began its co-operation programmes in Jordan in 1952 by providing aid to women and children. Then it later extended its operations throughout the country expanding its programmes to include health, nutrition and education. The current cycle (2003-2007) uses a life cycle and rights based approach and comprises five inter-sectoral programmes. The current supported programme aims at supporting the Government of Jordan, in the acceleration of socio-economic development, the promotion of the rights of children and women, and the contribution to their protection.
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What are UNICEF Jordan’s programmes ?
The UNICEF Programme of Cooperation in Jordan comprises five programmes:
Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD)
Protection
Adolescent Participation and Empowerment
Community Development
National Movement for Children and Monitoring of Rights
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What are the objectives of the IECD Programme ?
To contribute to an improvement of the psychosocial and cognitive development of children of 0-8 years. Also, To contribute to a reduction in the Infant Mortality Rate and Under 5 Mortality Rate from 31 to 20 and from 35 to 29 respectively
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What were the major activities conducted by the IECD Programme ?
IECD’s Better Parenting Project which was initiated by UNICEF with local partners in six countries within the Middle East region in 1996. The project, as developed in Jordan, seeks to address the needs of parents of very young children for basic information and support in their tasks of child rearing, specifically in the areas of health, nutrition, and social emotional development. Success in reaching 45,000 parents was achieved but there is still a challenge to reach more fathers.
In order to promote the male role in the child rearing process, a manual for religious leaders was developed and used in cooperation with the Ministry of Awqaf. The aim was to use Friday sermons as a platform to encourage fathers to be part of the child-rearing. In addition, about 225 religious leaders were trained on the manual which has been highly valued as a culturally appropriate tool to introduce IECD.
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What does the Protection Programme do ?
The Protection Programme has been focusing on improving the Juvenile Justice System. A multi-sectoral committee of all stakeholders involved in working with juveniles was formed in a bid to coordinate effort. The project focuses on improving the condition of the only girls’ detention centre in Jordan. A detailed improvement plan was implemented for the centre. Individual development plans for the girls were developed based on the results of the educational and psychosocial assessment that was conducted in 2002. The programme aims to:
- Contribute to an improved legislative environment for children and women to protect their rights.
- Contribute to an improvement of the psychosocial well-being of children and women victims of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitatio
n.
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What about the Adolescents Programme ?
The Adolescents Programme contributes to the improvement of the development of leadership and participatory skills for both girls and boys. At the national policy level, the Programme produced a national youth survey.conducted in cooperation with the Department of Statistics. The survey looks at youth in relation to education, employment, mobility and social relations, participation and citizenship, and regional differences.
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What are the Adolescents Programme’s objectives ?
The programme aims at achieving the following:
- Establishing an officially endorsed national youth strategy
- Setting plans of action based on the endorsed strategy in the Higher Council for Youth, Ministry of Education, Health and Social Development.
- Training of young boys and girls aged 10-19 years with knowledge about a minimum of 10 out of 15 key areas of basic life skills and healthy life styles.
- Training of service providers who are implementing youth projects that meet a set of criteria for participatory gender sensitive projects
- Involving young boys and girls aged 10-19 years in participation structures
- Identification of at risk children in three governorates who are involved in innovative home, school and community based interventions for adolescent development and participation
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What is the Community Development Programme ?
Community Development is a process by which underprivileged communities are encouraged to identify their needs and problems so as to start sustainable and integrated community –based projects to meet these needs.
In 1992, UNICEF Jordan identified Al Nasr area, east of the capital Amman, to launch a pilot community development project. Two more committees were developed in Al Naser with the aim of bringing together organisations, agencies and residents to assess resources and needs and to come up with action plans.
Community members were engaged in a wide range of activities which have achieved notable progress in fulfilling community needs, particularly that of children and women.
The geographic areas which the Community Development Programme covers during this new programme cycle (2003-2007) are Mafrak, Zarqa and Irbid.
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What are the objectives of this programme?
The objectives of the Community Development Programme include the harmonisation of development approaches in the country. Another objective is to have our main partner, the Ministry of Planning, adopt the UNICEF Community Development approach in one of their pilot areas.
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What organisations does UNICEF Jordan work with?
UNICEF Jordan works in close collaboration with the Government of Jordan and many other organisations, including UN and civil society organisations. Also UNICEF’s programmes enjoy committed support from the Royal Family, the Jordanian government, and NGOs operating in the Kingdom.
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What are the approaches followed by the UNICEF JCO programmes ?
The programme follows a rights-based, gender sensitive and life cycle approach. At the national level, the programme focuses on informing policy and legislative changes through surveys, research, advocacy, mobilisation, facilitation of policy dialogue and setting standards at all levels with opinion leaders. This will be coupled with alliance-building and strategic partnerships at all levels, with opinion leaders, the private sector, youth, civil society organisations and other United Nations agencies.
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What is the National Movement for Children and Monitoring of Rights Programme ?
This Programme works on ensuring that the status of both children and women remain high on the national agenda effecting policy and behaviour change. It also deals with mobilising media and decision makers effectively and ensuring that mechanisms and channels of information and communication are in place. Particular emphasis is on information related to the World Fit For Children document, UNSSC follow-up action, and organisational priorities.
The programme focuses on engaging the private sector and donor community to contribute funds in support of identified programme priorities for example the private sector was approached to raise funds for the Global Movement for Children. As a result Jordan Telecom supported the travel of two youths and two NGOs to attend the United Nations Special Session on Children.
The media is a key partner in this programme and is actively and regularly promoting issues of concern. For example, and for our milestone report the SOWC report , the media was invited to meet with the Minister of Education and students and mothers whose story was documented in the flagship report. Open channels of discussion are promoted through the National Movement, the media, and key partners. This ensures that issues pertaining to women and children are understood, and action is taken
The programme also works with the government and other partners in monitoring the situation of children and women. This is done in cooperation with key partners like the Ministry of Planning, the Jordanian Department of Statistics, the National Council for Family Affairs and other scientific and research institutions.
Monitoring the situation of children and women is done through supporting key studies, and the preparation of reports for national and international level reporting on their situation.
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