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Canada and Switzerland announce additional 1.5 million USD to UNESCO in support of education system strengthening in Jordan
Amman-10 December 2024 – A ceremony was held today at the Ministry of Education to formalize an additional contribution of 1.4 million CAD from Canada, and 500,000 USD from Switzerland in support of the “System Strengthening Partnership with Jordan’s Ministry of Education” (SSP) programme.
The SSP programme is funded through a Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) and has been implemented by UNESCO since 2019 under the leadership of the Ministry of Education. The contributions from Canada, and Switzerland will bring the total value of the SSP programme workplan to 8.6 million USD, in addition to the in-kind contribution of Norway, that currently deploys 5 technical experts to UNESCO in partnership with NORCAP.
UNESCO Representative to Jordan, Ms. Noha Bawazir thanked the MPTF partners for their generous contribution and ongoing partnership. She said:
The joint contribution of the MPTF partners and Ministry of Education to invest in system strengthening is a testament that Jordan continues to reap the benefits on a strong education sector partner community that is working strategically together towards a common goal
She continued by emphasizing the importance of system strengthening as a critical lever to transform education and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 4, in pursuit of inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
At the ceremony, UNESCO and the Ministry of Education also announced the extension of the SSP programme until 2026. UNESCO will continue to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Education to make Jordan’s education system more effective, resilient, and inclusive by strengthening governance and fostering an ecosystem that supports evidence-based planning, budgeting, and monitoring.
The programme focuses on enhancing core functions and national capacities such as planning and budgeting, monitoring and evaluation, data management, and crisis-sensitive planning, including risk management. By adopting principles of good donorship and leveraging pooled, flexible funding, the SSP programme has emerged as a successful model for how strategic system strengthening can transform education systems and ensure no child or youth is left behind.
The additional contribution will also provide an opportunity to expand the current crisis sensitive planning portfolio to focus additional efforts on greening education to support the MoE in tacking the climate crisis by harnessing the critical role of education.
At the ceremony, other MPTF members were represented by H.E Tarik Ali Khan, Ambassador of Canada to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, H.E. Emilija Georgieva, Ambassador of Switzerland to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Iraq, Ms. Birgitte Sørgaard Wessel, Counsellor- Head of Development Cooperation, Royal Norwegian Embassy, and Ms. Roxane Weber, Head of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
From the MoE side, H.E. Prof. Azmi Mahafzah, Minister of Education chaired the meeting, and was joined by senior Ministry of Education management colleagues, including H.E Ms. Sahar Al Shakhatreh/ Secretary General for Administrative and Financial Affairs, H.E Mr. Nawwaf Al Ajarmeh/Secretary General for Educational Affairs, Dr. Khawla Hattab/ Executive Director, Development and Coordination Unit, Dr. Faisal Hawari/Managing Director of Planning and Research Department, Eng. Monieb Tashman/Managing Director, Queen Rania Center for Information and Technology Ms. Ibtisam Ayoub/ Secretary General of Jordan’s National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.
