Gov’t keen to upgrade public services — PM

AMMAN — Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Omar Razzaz on Saturday stressed that his government will continue to enhance its performance and upgrade public services in line with His Majesty King Abdullah's directives.

Addressing attendees of an online ceremony launching an impact assessment policy guide, Razzaz said that “successful governments are not the ones that make no mistakes, but rather those that learn from their mistakes, evaluate their performance constantly, and always correct and improve until they reach what they aspire to”.

"It has become imperative for us to institutionalise the decision-making process and assess its impact," the prime minister added, stressing the importance of the guide to assess policy impact and better manage institutional development, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Minister of State for Institutional Performance Development Yasera Ghosheh, Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Sami Daoud, EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou and Director of the EU-funded Support for Improvement in Governance and Management (SIGMA) Gregor Virant attended the ceremony.

The guide was devised by the Institutional Performance and Policy Development Department (Decision Support Unit) at the Prime Ministry in cooperation with SIGMA and the Institute of Public Administration.

It aims to build and strengthen the capacities of government departments, institutions, decision-makers, legislators and community institutions on the use and application of impact assessment instruments, by offering an indicative and organisational reference document that clarifies good institutional practices in the field of impact assessment.

In press remarks following the teleconference, Ghosheh said that the manual is intended to serve as a roadmap for all government departments while implementing an impact assessment related to any decision or legislation approved by the Cabinet.

Ghosheh also said that the guide also aims to inform government departments and institutions how to study any proposed decision or policy submitted by the department or institution to the Cabinet, by preparing comprehensive studies on the project or policy intended to be implemented and exploring its impact in all respects for better decision-making.

For his part, Daoud described the manual as "key part of administrative reform", which, he said, is a government priority, adding that the document will help boost public management, identify shortcomings and give better decision-making options.

Hadjitheodosiou said that SIGMA project worked closely with government stakeholders on the guide and offered assistance in its formulation, stressing that the EU is committed to providing the advice and technical support required during the implementation of the legislative impact assessment policy in Jordan.