From crisis to resilience in Jordan  

During the Syria crisis years, the context in Jordan has changed significantly. The situation has evolved from an initial focus on life-saving humanitarian assistance to a time when assistance to refugees and host communities must be equally prioritized.

It is all about turning challenges into opportunities.

The conflict in Syria, now entering its fifth year, defies conventional conflict resolution approaches and challenges aid responses. This requires a shift in the way the United Nations does business.

The Government of Jordan, the UN system and the international community have worked hard to address complex challenges. Over the years, however, it has become evident that there is further scope to improve the coordination between humanitarian action and development assistance.

A shared vision

Extensive consultations with the Government, UN and donors in early 2014 led to a shared vision setting out a clear and grounded roadmap. Since then the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) has supported the Government of Jordan in establishing a nationally-led coordination platform; at the same time, the UNCT has worked internally towards strengthening the coherence of its own interventions in response to the impact of the Syria crisis.

Jordan UNCT applies the Standard Operating Procedures

The complex context has emphasized the need for the UN to be ‘fit for purpose’. It has also provided an entry point for Delivering as One (DaO). The UNDG Standard Operating Procedures for countries adopting the DaO approach provided a flexible entry point for the Jordan UNCT, as the SOPs left sufficient space for customization.

In Jordan, the principle leading this effort is that of resilience. This principle is serving as the glue to bridge humanitarian action and development assistance within one coherent framework.

What is a resilience-based approach?

• The resilience-based approach is defined by UNDP as the ability of individuals, households, communities and societies to cope with the adverse impacts of shocks and stresses, to recover from them, and bring about transformational change that supports sustainable human development.

The resilience-based approach represents a strategic shift away from a pure humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. More importantly, it provided the conceptual framework to craft both UN and national plans.

The process of creating the UNAF 2015-2017

1. An initial revision exercise of the UNDAF 2013-2017 sharpened the focus on resilience, and strengthened the UNDAF’s alignment with the priorities set out in the Government of Jordan’s National Resilience Plan 2014-2016.
2. In the second half of 2014, the UNCT worked to align the UNDAF with the Jordan Response Plan 2015, which consolidates the humanitarian and development response under one nationally-led framework. It also constitutes the Jordan chapter of the Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan (3RP).
3. Through an extensive consultative process, the UNCT in Jordan developed the United Nations Assistance Framework (UNAF) 2015-2017, which supersedes the UNDAF 2013-

The UNAF is a strategic rather than an operational document with a sharp focus on high level results, in line with the latest guidance on DaO. The UNAF, with the inclusion of the refugee component and additional emphasis on resilience programming, enables the UN system to provide a comprehensive, coherent and synergistic response to nationally identified needs and priorities.

The UNAF is operationalized through Joint Annual Work Planning. The focus is on joint programmes and joint programming. It contains only the most vital and strategic activities of UNCT, which are intended to be implemented jointly or in a coordinated fashion in the year ahead.

A ripple effect for Delivering as One

The resilience process around the complex situation in Jordan has triggered progress in other aspects of Delivering as One. UNCT leadership and accountability were fostered by assigning the chairmanship of each of the six UNAF Results Groups to a Head of Agency. In addition, the UN Communication Group, Operations Management Team, Gender Theme Group and Post-2015 Focus Group (each chaired by a Head of Agency) were strengthened and coordinated in ways that could further support the priorities articulated in the UNAF.

Resilience is also the underlying principle of the pool-funding mechanism, the Jordan Resilience Fund. The Fund was established with UN support to help finance the Jordan Response Plan. In addition to a national window, the Fund also includes a window through which funds can be channeled to UN activities addressing the impact of the Syria crisis on the country.

We know where we want to go

With the conceptual framework in place, the challenge now lies in its successful and effective implementation. Becoming the first Delivering as One country in the Middle East is not something that can happen overnight. It is a gradual process that requires a behavioural change within organizations and among staff. However, we know where we want to go, and it is our intention to get there by 2018, in line with the roll-out of the new UNDAF cycle 2018-2022.