About the NDA

The National Designated Authority (NDA) serves as the focal point between a country and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It plays a key role in ensuring country ownership, the core principle of GCF’s business model.The Ministry of Environment is the NDA for the GCF in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It was nominated by the Government of Jordan October 2, 2014 to be the NDA as it houses the national mandate on climate change and the focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the previous two decades.The focal point under the NDA for GCF engagement is the Climate Change Directorate of the Ministry.

NDA National Mandate

The Ministry of Environment seeks to protect and improve Jordan’s environment in a sustainable manner in full collaboration with government agencies, partners, and active stakeholder entities in the environmental sector and other cross-cutting sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, and water. Its mandate is to be the competent authority in the protection of the environment in the Kingdom.The Ministry of Environment’s strategy (2017-2019) was developed in a time where Jordan is witnessing various interior and exterior changes and challenges. The effort was conducted in response to the instructions of His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in prioritizing the environment and granting it special care to ensure the development of the legislative frameworks; providing specialized skilled personnel and activating partnerships to protect the environment.The Ministry’s mission is conserving the environment, through developing legal, strategic and policy frameworks, in addition to spreading environmental culture, enhancing environmental monitoring and law enforcement, transitioning to a green economy within a participatory approach, and supporting institutional structures to contribute to achieving sustainable development.

Challenges

Increase in pollution levels due to the incremental growth in the transport, energy and industrial sectors.
Lack of observance and enforcement of environmental standards.
Degradation of ecosystems and increasing desertification due to urbanization and climate change.
Lack of water and waste management systems.
Lack of environmental awareness and environmental education within local communities, schools, and the economic sectors.
Large influx of refugees from regional asylum crises.

Strategic Objectives

To protect and conserve the ecosystems.
To prevent and reduce the negative impacts on the environment caused by pollution.
To raise public awareness and behavior change on environmental protection.
To develop the institutional capacities and anchoring the excellence culture.
To improve partnership with the private sector in priority sectors.

NDA Engagement with GCF

The GCF approved its first Readiness Preparatory Support Program (RPSP) for Jordan in June 2017 with UNEP as the delivery partner and a second with the Global Green Growth Institute in July 2018. The RPSP, through grant funding and technical assistance, supports country-driven initiatives by developing countries to strengthen their institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning and programming frameworks towards a transformational long-term climate action agenda. It can also provide support to Direct Access Entities to strengthen their ability to engage with the GCF. The complimentary aims of the two concurrent readiness programs are noted below:

The UNEP RPSP aims to:

Strengthen NDA institutional capacity
Engage stakeholders in consultative processes
Enhance private sector awareness of GCF funding instruments

The GGGI RPSP aims to:

Support Direct Access Entity Accreditation
Develop GCF project pipeline
Mobilize private sector investment

In addition to over $1M in readiness support, the GCF has approved 3 multi-regional funding proposals that deploy over $67M in climate finance (link words to climate finance page) to Jordan. There is also a pipeline of 1 approved concept note for a $50M national water project, in addition to an approved Project Preparation Facility (PPF) of $.28M for a $40M national land management project. More information about GCF support in Jordan can be accessed here (To learn more about GCF support in Jordan please visit: GCF Jordan Country Page).