The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2013-2017 is Jordan’s third UNDAF
and comes at a critical time when citizens in the country are participating in a sustained effort to expand
their rights. The social, political and economic reforms that the government has embarked on two decades
ago need to be implemented at a faster pace. Early 2011, coinciding with the “Arab Spring”, the
government took steps to keep the process of change on track. Although Jordan has been able to steadily
grow its economy over the past decades, the benefits have not been shared equitably between all members
of Jordan’s society. In addition, Jordan’s relative economic success has been too dependent on financial
transfers from abroad, including ODA, while its local economic base is structurally not yet very strong. It
is in this potentially fragile political and economic context that the UNDAF 2013-2017 aims to support
the government and civil society in implementing the necessary reforms and empowering its citizens.