On 25 October 2001, His Majesty King Abdullah II instructed the Government of Jordan to chart an integrated socioeconomic program to accelerate the pace of social and economic reforms and raise the quality and standard of living of Jordanians. As a result of the Royal Directive, the Government launched the Social and Economic Transformation Program on 15 November 2001.

Objectives of the SETP

1. Improving the quality of life for Jordanians, through reducing unemployment and poverty, and effecting change in the areas of human resource development, basic government services, rural development and poverty alleviation; and institutional and structural reform;

2. Activating the role of private capital in the economy, through further institutionalizing the public-private partnership, providing the legal and institutional framework conducive to increased investment in the economy, and accelerating the privatization process;

3. Ensuring that the GOJ adopts more responsive, efficient and timely decisions-making processes;

4. Undertaking policies that strengthen Jordan's credibility with the international financial community; and

5. Ensuring that policies taken do not jeopardize macroeconomic stability.

Public Investment Objectives

The SETP Public Investment Component channels quality-enhancing investment into Human Resources Development; Basic Government Services; Rural Development & Poverty Alleviation; and Institutional & Structural Reform.

A. Human Resources Development

1. Public Education

1. Structure the educational system to promote lifelong learning;

2. Ensure that the educational system is responsive to the evolving needs of the economy;

3. Increase accessibility to information and communications technologies (ICT) to support effective learning and educational management;

4. Improve learning experiences and environments;

5. Adjust curricula to meet market needs; and

6. Computerize schools and integrate networks to allow for better communication and more efficient research and management.

2. Higher Education

1. Improve the accreditation process;

2. Enhance the efficiency of the higher education system by focus on quality control issues;

3. Update and modernize curricula to better meet labor market requirements;

4. Reformulate admission requirements to allow for more flexibility for students to choose their course of study;

5. Amend legislation to allow for greater private sector participation in higher education and encourage universities and colleges to affiliate with prominent international higher education institutions; and

6. Enhance the utilization of ICT and the English language in universities and colleges.

3. Vocational Training

1. Prepare the infrastructure necessary to facilitate more effective vocational and technical training;

2. Computerize training centers to encourage the acquisition of information technology skills;

3. Upgrade instructor skills;

4. Encourage private sector participation in designing training courses to meet their human resource requirements; and

5. Reorient the focus of existing vocational and technical training to better reflect labor market requirements.

4. Culture

1. Promote national and local cultural identity;

2. Encourage private sector participation in the financing of cultural activities; and foster the artistic and cultural sectors throughout the country.

5. Youth Care

1. Establish youth centers and athletic fields;

2. Create an independent body that oversees and directs youth development programs; and Encourage creative thinking and innovation through educational programs.

B. Basic Government Services

1. Health Care

1. Improve the quality of health care services;

2. Distribute resources more equitably between governorates;

3. Increase private sector participation in the health insurance system;

4. Increase health insurance coverage; Support export oriented industries;

5. Modernize health facilities;

6. Develop a health information and research center; and

7. Improve the efficiency of purchasing systems.

2. Water Resources

1. Improve water infrastructure and wastewater treatment facilities;

2. Improve systems for water distribution;

3. Explore alternative water technologies; Improve water harvesting;

4. Improve the quality of water delivered through different water treatment initiatives;

5. Reduce water loss and inefficiency;

6. Reduce the unauthorized use of underground wells;

7. Establish an information database for water resources and usage;

8. Promote private sector participation in the sector;

9. Improve efficiency in agricultural water use; and

10. Reduce the contamination of underground water.

3. Information and Communications Technology

1. Improve the ICT infrastructure;

2. Expand the e-government initiative;

3. Improve service delivery to citizens;

4. Increase private investments in the sector;

5. Strengthen the ICT skills of government employees; and

6. Promote Jordan as a regional ICT hub.

4. Infrastructure

1. Increase the road networks, including the establishment of a network of highways between governorates and with neighboring countries;

2. Upgrade roads to increase their safety and provide better services;

3. Enhance the skills of employees in the sector.

5. Civil Defense

1. Upgrade inspection facilities at border centers; and

2. Build the capacity of and provide training to civil defense institutions.

C. Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation

1. Improve employment opportunities in rural areas;

2. Improve access to education and health care in rural areas;

3. Improve the productivity of individuals and local communities;

4. Promote sustainable enterprise development projects;

5. Encourage the role of the private sector in developing and directing investment to disadvantaged areas;

6. Strengthen local decision making abilities and involvement in the developmental process through decentralization;

7. Improve efficiency of local governments;

8. Improve basic service delivery in governorates;

9. Conduct Family Planning awareness campaigns;

10. Increase the number of libraries in municipalities;

11. Encourage entrepreneurship through educational programs and the facilitation of micro financing;

12. Facilitate increased agricultural exports;

Provide incentives for the private sector to participate more actively in agriculture projects.

D. Institutional and Structural Reforms

1. Enhance the legislative and institutional environment to promote investment;

2. Increase the interaction and communication of government agencies with citizens and businesses;

3. Increase efficiency, transparency, and accountability through improving the government decision-making processes;

4. Facilitate decentralization in government policy;

5. Enhance the efficiency of the court system and reduce transaction costs for citizens and businesses;

6. Strengthen the independence of the judiciary;

7. Increase the transparency of the judicial decision-making processes and simplify and rationalize legal procedures to make the litigation process more efficient; and

8. Ensure that judges are continually updated with the latest developments in jurisprudence.