(MENAFN- Jordan Times) On the occasion of the UN Day, which is marked every year on October 24, representatives of the 17 UN agencies operating in Jordan met to discuss the country's progress and the cooperation between the government and the UN for the period 2018-2022, with focus on the national achievements towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Praising the level of collaboration and outlining the various challenges Jordan faces in the field of food and water security, representatives of these agencies invariably gave the country high marks for its achievements so far.
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Jordan said the collective meeting was held 'to show our willingness to collaborate in achieving the UN four fundamental objectives of peace and security, friendly relations between countries, international cooperation in solving crises and the promotion of respect for human rights'.
Representative of other agencies highlighted the country's efforts towards achieving the SDGs, vis-à-vis the Arab states and globally, the 'exemplary cooperation' of the government in the process, the 'outstanding progress [of] becoming one of the first countries to achieve food security [SDG 2] by 2015', but also the strain refugees put on its resources that, one representative said, has caused the level of access to key services, including reproductive health and women's access to the formal labour market, to decrease, which means that more needs to be done to 'help Jordan get back to the status of regional model it used to have'.
'Jordan has had a very big heart through its open door policy and it is remarkable to see what it has achieved in spite of such a volatile environment,' said the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in recognition of the country's open-door policy vis-à-vis refugees — the Kingdom is housing and contributing to the upkeep of about 1.3 million Syrian refugees.
To be sure, there was wide recognition, but that does not mean efforts should stop here.
The challenges the country faces are many and they need to be tackled: chronic water scarcity, unemployment, poverty, housing, environmental concerns, getting the level of education where it used to be some decades ago, closure of borders and decline in exports, an unstable area all around where terrorists still roam freely despite efforts to rout them.
Jordan is making great efforts, but to go beyond what it has already achieved, it needs the help of the international community, and this is where the UN agencies and others have a role to play.
They all need to continue to do their part and support Jordan's determined efforts to achieve the 2030 SDGs agenda.
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