The United Nations and the government of Jordan have recently launched a joint programme to develop strategic investments to accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The two-year programme will help accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs through establishing key building blocks for an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF), a tool for governments and their partners to finance the SDGs at the national level, according to an UN statement.

Financed by the UN Joint SDG Fund, the "Jordan - Enabling an SDG Financing Ecosystem” programme, will support the government of Jordan to strengthen alignment of climate responsive planning, budgeting and financing, increasing alignment of public and private investments with national SDG priorities and enable new investments and partnerships, while promoting a gender-responsive SDG financing framework.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh said the government will continue working with partners to support long-term investments needed for the sustainable development agenda, said the statement.

"Accelerating the realisation of the 2030 Agenda and its goals is a priority for the government of Jordan and has been incorporated into the Government Executive Programme (2021-2024). Establishing key building blocks for an Integrated National Financing Framework provided with technical support to Jordan has never been more important than today to protect the development gains and respond to the impact of COVID-19 on the different sectors”, Shraideh said in the statement.

This year marks six years since the adoption of the SDGs and the second of a "decade of action” towards achieving the SDGs by 2030. Progress has been made in some areas, such as improving maternal and child health, expanding access to electricity and increasing women’s empowerment.

Yet, and since the outbreak of the pandemic, some of these advances were offset elsewhere by growing food insecurity, deterioration of the natural environment, and persistent and pervasive inequalities, read the statement.

"If we want to leave no one behind we have to fast track SDG gains that also provide a blueprint for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan Anders Pedersen.

"By placing the focus on integrated policy solutions and incentivising partners to adopt more strategic financing is timely and critical as it will contribute to accelerating progress towards the SDGs and recovering better from the pandemic,” he said in the statement.

The "Jordan - Enabling an SDG Financing Ecosystem” programme will be implemented by UNDP, UNICEF and UN WOMEN, who will work with the largest investment vehicles in Jordan, including the Social Security Investment Fund (SSIF) while also engaging civil society organisations and the youth.

The programme, in partnership with the UN Global Compact Network and Social Value International, will support businesses in managing and measuring their impact, the statement said.

The programme will focus on climate change and gender equality, which are cross-cutting issues that require integrated approaches towards SDG goals and targets. It will also provide the foundation for sustained and systemic change towards crisis preparedness and economic resilience, while adhering to the principle of "leave no one behind”.

It is also anchored and supports the recently launched UN Socio-Economic Framework to respond and recover from COVID-19 and its five accelerators for recovering better from COVID-19, concluded the statement.