Jordan

What we do

When a country is moving forth with democratic reform, it is vital that the future generation of political actors are ready to seize that momentum and develop the skills, knowledge and networks needed to build an open, inclusive and tolerant political space.

In Jordan, gradual democratic reforms began in 1989, with increased momentum following the events of the Arab Spring in 2011. But while there are now around 50 political parties in the country, political structures are still developing and parties are often dominated by personalities rather than policies.

Since 2017, NIMD Jordan has been working to strengthen the democratic culture and institutions, implementing programmes that build the skills of aspiring young politicians, encourage greater participation of women, and lay the groundwork for greater collaboration and cross-party dialogue in future generations.

Democracy Education

NIMD Jordan launched the Jordan School of Politics (JSoP) in 2017, targeting political parties’ youth members and aspiring young politicians.

The training covers core political knowledge including political and democratic theory, electoral systems, political parties, and constitutional theory. Technical skills are also crucial, so students participate in media and communications training and policy analysis, enhancing not only their political leadership skills, but their debating and communications skills too.

Students come from across the political spectrum and all parts of Jordan, allowing for cross-party networks to develop and acting as a bulwark against future polarization. JSoP also hosts exchange trips with other NIMD programme countries in the region, allowing networks to develop over borders.

Women's Political Participation

Gender equality and women’s political participation are integrated into all JSoP training programmes, and NIMD Jordan runs dedicated courses to develop the skills and knowledge of aspiring female politicians, such as the Women in Local Administration project.

Half of all JSoP graduates are now women, and as well as organizing training and networking events, NIMD Jordan facilitates the alumni’s access to government, making every effort to empower and amplify traditionally-marginalized voices.

Dialogue

Bridging divides between often works best in an informal setting, and NIMD Jordan is pleased to host regular Political Dinners, get-togethers between Jordan’s politicians and JSoP students where they can speak freely and openly in a relaxed setting.

These encounters encourage people to challenge their pre-conceptions and recognize commonalities, regardless of background or political affiliations.

And while disagreements are inevitable in politics, NIMD Jordan works with ministries and political parties to strengthen their mediation abilities, while also providing institutional training for senior members of parliamentary political parties.

Key Achievements

Jordan School of Politics
  • Over 120 graduates since 2019, with half of them female
  • Over 18 policy papers produced by JSoP alumni in 2019, 2020 and 2021 selected for publication, with topics including decentralisation, youth, and party efficiency, women empowerment in political process
  • Over 20 dialogue sessions between alumni and policy and decision makers over the past three years
  • Held seven regional meetings connecting political activists from Jordan with peers in Tunisia, Iraq, and the Netherlands in workshops that included trainings and dialogues with political experts
Lobbying and advocacy
  • Young students of the Jordan School of Politics held dialogue sessions with members of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System and presented their proposals to the committee head, with many of their recommendations adopted
  • Three initiatives by women who participated in NIMD programmes were presented to the Women’s Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives, the Women’s Sub-committee of the Royal Committee, and the head of the Royal Committee

Meet The Team

Bashar Al-Khatib
Country Director, NIMD Jordan
Bashar Al-Khatib is the Country Director for NIMD Jordan, based in Amman.
Reem Judeh
Senior Programme & Knowledge Advisor, NIMD
Reem Judeh is the focal point in The Hague working with the Jordanian team. With more than 20 years’ experience in international cooperation and social justice across multiple fields in Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, Reem has extensive skills related to good governance, democracy support, women peace and security, minority rights and civil society space. She is also NIMD's lead thematic advisor on Democracy Education.

Who We Work With

The European Union funded the five-year programme, EU Support to Jordanian Democratic Institutions & Development (EU-JDID), which began in 2017 and encompasses NIMD’s training and capacity-building programmes for women and young politicians. Other partners in the EU-JDID consortium include the European Centre for Electoral Support, the European Partnership for Democracy, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and the French Agency for Media Cooperation.
NIMD’s work in Jordan is also funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Power of Dialogue programme. The Power of Dialogue consortium is made up of NIMD, Gorée Institute, Akina Mama wa Africa, and Centre des Études Méditerranéennes Internationales, and seeks to enhance collaboration of political and civic actors to participate in accountable political processes.

News

News 28-02-2023
The Jordan School of Politics: Meet the graduates
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Stories 23-11-2022
Finding my feet in politics through the Jordan School of Politics
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News 25-08-2021
Jordan: NIMD participants present recommendations for more inclusive policies
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News 16-06-2021
Empowering women in local administration: A new project in Jordan
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Stories 15-07-2020
Capacitating Jordanian youth to work towards gender equality
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News 01-07-2020
NIMD Jordan: Our work to support young people to engage in politics
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News 18-03-2020
Jordan’s School of Politics welcomes new cohort of politically engaged youth
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Interview 17-03-2020
Jordan: Working with the next generation of political leaders
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News 14-10-2019
Jordan: NIMD launches new programme on youth political engagement
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Blog 27-08-2019
The reality of women’s political participation in Jordan
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News 15-07-2019
Jordan School of Politics Officially Launched in Amman
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News 01-07-2019
Election Manifesto Development training in Jordan: How to develop clear policy positions
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News 05-06-2019
EU-JDID celebrates Jordan’s Independence Day
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News 20-05-2019
NIMD set to launch School of Politics in Jordan
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News 26-03-2019
Dialogue leads to cross-party recommendations in Jordan
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News 12-03-2019
NIMD joins Jordan’s female parliamentarians for #IWD2019
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News 23-01-2019
Training for political activists and party members enters second phase in Jordan
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News 08-01-2019
Jordan: NIMD holds first manifesto development workshop
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News 17-09-2018
Jordan: parties and civil society organizations gather for action on human rights
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News 27-08-2018
Youth activists step closer to political reform in Jordan
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News 28-05-2018
Helping youth in Jordan break down barriers to women in politics
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News 12-03-2018
Local youth engage with Prime Minister in Jordan
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News 24-05-2017
Support to Democratic Institutions & Development: A new project in Jordan
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News 20-07-2016
NIMD explores possibilities of working in Jordan
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