Amman: On Thursday 31 March, 2022, the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) signed a EUR 150 million Development Policy Loan (DPL) agreement to support the implementation of Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) in Jordan. A technical assistance and capacity building program managed by UN Women and financed through a EUR 1.5 million grant will also be carried out to support the project’s partners. The program underscores the commitment of local authorities toward executing public policies that aim at reducing gender inequalities by integrating GRB into the Jordanian budgeting cycle.

The DPL agreement was inked during the two-day visit of AFD Deputy CEO, Bertrand Walckenaer, to Jordan, “I am glad to be in Amman to celebrate the fruitful cooperation between France and Jordan, as served by AFD Group, and witness the launch of this essential program on Gender-Responsive Budgeting. With this reform, Jordan will be at the forefront of the gender equality agenda.”

On the second day of the visit, Thursday 31 March, Walckenaer - in cooperation with the Jordanian Civil Defense Directorate - travelled to Mafraq governorate to meet with its g     overnor and the local partners of the AFD project being implemented by Expertise France to support civil protection, as well as meet with beneficiaries of the Smart Desert Project dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture.

A day earlier, Wednesday 30 March, Education for Employment-Jordan (EFE-Jordan) and AFD had signed a EUR 5 million grant agreement to launch the Improving Livelihood and Maximizing Economic Employment (ILHAMEE) project, which seeks to improve local livelihoods and create economic opportunities in Jordan by providing targeted training and financial services to Jordanians and Syrian refugees. The project will also enhance the technical skills of approximately 2,000 beneficiaries, offering them better means of increasing incomes for themselves and their families, while boosting their self-confidence and facilitating their socioeconomic inclusion.

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About AFD Group

AFD Group implements France’s policy in the areas of development and international solidarity. The Group includes Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which finances the public sector and NGOs, as well as research and education in sustainable development; its subsidiary Proparco, which is dedicated to private sector financing; and Expertise France, a technical cooperation agency. The Group finances, supports and accelerates transitions towards a fairer, more resilient world.

With our partners, we are building shared solutions with and for the people of the Global South. Our teams are at work on more than 4,000 projects in the field, in the French Overseas Departments and Territories, in 115 countries and in regions in crisis. We strive to protect global public goods – promoting a stable climate, biodiversity and peace, as well as gender equality, education and healthcare. In this way, we contribute to the commitment of France and the French people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Towards a world in common.

This press release has been distributed by Bidaya Marketing Communications on behalf of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

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