Jordan Times
Friday, September 15, 2006
US approves $25 million
grant to support political, economic reforms
By Khalid Neimat
AMMAN — The US this week approved a $25 million grant for Jordan to support its
Threshold Programme to advance political, social and economic reform efforts.
Of the total amount, $16.5 million will be allocated to support and develop
local councils, while $8.5 million will be utilised to develop and modernise the
capacity of the Customs Department, according to a joint statement released by
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali and US
Ambassador to Jordan David Hale.
Al-Ali said that Jordan was eligible to receive this grant through its country
plan presented to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), in order to
implement several reform programmes and initiatives that were recently adopted
during the “We are All Jordan” forum.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation, launched in 2003, represents a US
initiative designed to assist developing countries improve their citizens’
livelihoods through supporting further liberalisation in the social, economic
and political spheres, the statement said.
Hale said the additional grant is another example of the outstanding bilateral
relations between the two countries.
Jordan’s attainment of this grant increases its chances to qualify for
additional assistance from the MCC, the statement said.
It added that this additional support would be directed at improving the
livelihoods of all Jordanians throughout the country with particular emphasis on
addressing issues of poverty and unemployment.
This grant increases US overall assistance for Jordan to $325 million in 2006.
“The Threshold Programme will assist the government of Jordan to enact an
ambitious package of legislative and regulatory reforms to advance home-grown
reform initiatives,” MCC Chief Executive Officer Ambassador John Danilovich said
in a statement issued by the corporation.
Over two years, MCC assistance will fund two initiatives to strengthen and to
modernise customs administration.
Strengthening municipal governance seeks to improve citizens’ political rights
and voice and accountability by empowering local municipal councils and
improving citizen participation in elections and local governance, the MCC
statement said.
In nine of the country’s 99 municipalities, the Threshold Programme will provide
technical assistance and training to increase participation in local elections,
provide resources to fund priority projects, and institute programmes to improve
relations and collaboration among municipalities, citizens and the private
sector, according to the statement.
In order to encourage more trade, the government will use MCC funds to improve
the customs system including technical upgrades, more streamlined procedures and
processes, and staff training, the statement said.
This component aims to improve the efficiency of the Customs Department,
implement a “single-window” facility to streamline processes and interactions at
the border, and upgrade the Automated System for Customs Data, the customs
management system, according to MCC.
To date, under the Threshold Programme, MCC has approved over $200 million in
nine countries: Albania, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Paraguay, Philippines, Tanzania,
Ukraine, Zambia and Jordan.