For this week's post, I chose to visit the Arab nation of Jordan while evaluating how sustainable development goal #11 impacts the nation. A challenge Jordan is currently witnessing is the influx of refugees from war-torn neighboring countries. Within the past decade, Jordan has acted as a sanctuary for "Palestinians, Iraqis, and others in need many times in the recent past. Since 2011, the kingdom has been called upon again to accept the stream of Syrian refugees fleeing the violence in their homeland and there are now 1.3 million Syrians in Jordan. Overall, the number of registered refugees with UNRWA and UNHCR has reached 2.8 million, making Jordan the largest refugee-hosting country worldwide, when compared to the size of its population" (Voluntary National Review 2017).
Within Jordan, the refugee crises have negatively impacted the state of the nation. Due to a lack of humanitarian response, Jordan is coupled with stressed economic and resource infrastructure which negatively impacts social services, urban growth, and shelter. "With over 80 percent of Syrians living outside of camps, refugees have had a major impact on the Jordanian housing market. The Syrian refugee crisis inundated Jordan amid a chronic shortage of low-income housing. The increased demand for housing stimulated by Syrians drove up rental prices in the six northern Jordanian municipalities and further stressed the availability of affordable housing" (Francis, A., Carnegie, 2015).
Over this past decade, Jordan has made phenomenal economic, social, and human progress, while investing in infrastructure, human resources, and improving living standards. Yet with the surge in population has become an issue that has impacted the development of this nation when considering the exhaustion of resources. A priority right now would be ensuring that urbanization is properly established and is in favor of their residents.
To address this issue, in 2015 the nation launched their Jordan 2025 initiative which is a 10-year socio-economic blueprint for the country that takes into the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development; "with the objective of achieving a prosperous, resilient and inclusive economy while strengthening reform and inclusion"(Voluntary National Review 2017). This nationwide project has the potential to reduce urban poverty, improve access to infrastructure and basic services, housing, and security.
References:
Francis, A. (September 21, 2015). Jordan's Refugee Crisis. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved on November 22 from: https://carnegieendowment.org/2015/09/21/jordan-s-refugee-crisis-pub-61338
Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform. (n.d.). Jordan: Voluntary National Review 2017. Retrieved on November 22 from: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/jordan
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