Jordan adopted its first National Action Plan (NAP) in 2018 for the period 2018-2021. The NAP was developed by the Jordanian National Commission for Women and the National Coalition on UNSCR 1325, which was composed of over 60 representatives from government ministries, civil society organisations, security sector and international partners. The focus of the NAP is to ensure national and regional stability through gender equality and women’s participation, particularly in national peace and security efforts. These goals are guided by the four pillars of the Women, Peace and Security agenda – participation, protection, prevention, relief and recovery. The NAP grounds the WPS agenda in the country context, highlighting the need for a gender-sensitive approach to humanitarian response; recognising the varying needs of women in humanitarian crises; and emphasizing women’s agency in the prevention of violent extremism and radicalisation. However, there is no mention of disarmament in the NAP, which challenges further opportunities to deliver on the prevention and participation objectives. The NAP will be monitored and evaluated by all entities that contributed to its creation. In terms of budgeting, there is an inclusion of a national budget allocated for the goals of the NAP to be completed.
Jordan reported on the implementation of its NAP, as well as WPS commitments, in its national reporting for Beijing+25 and in preparation for CSW64 (2020). Specifically, the country provided the following updates, among others (p.53):
- A communication strategy was developed for the National Plan of Action to Raise Awareness and Advocacy for the Women, Peace and Security Agenda for the years 2018-2021 … It was also necessary to clarify the key ideas behind its recommended approach to reach the target groups of outreach activities, particularly key partners outside the capital, to raise awareness and support for the national plan and its objectives.
- The National Committee for Women, in cooperation with the UN Women, began in 2018 to mobilize resources for the Joint Support Fund through which the activities of the plan will be implemented in the next phase, the estimated total cost of which is estimated at 7,820,000 million dinars for the years 2018-2021. The Canadian, British, Norwegian, Spanish, and Finnish governments pledged to support to the fund for the implementation of the plan, which was launched at a regional conference with international participation in February 2019.
Jordan does not have a recent history of armed conflict; however, the country did intervene in military operations outside of its borders, including during the Arab-Israeli War (1948) as well as the Six-Day War (1967). Currently, Jordan is a host country to many refugees fleeing conflicts in other parts of its surrounding region, including from conflicts in Palestine, Syria, and Yemen.
In 2019, Jordan was among the top 40 largest importers of arms in the world. Additionally, Jordan was among the top 10 countries globally with the highest military burden (military expenditure as a share of gross domestic product).
At the multilateral level, Jordan most recently served as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2014-2015.