UNDP, Impact Hub Network collaborate to support social entrepreneurship policy development in Jordan

AMMAN — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its efforts to assist the social enterprise policy process in Jordan, led by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MODEE) organised a workshop in collaboration with Impact Hub.

To support employment generation among youth and marginalised communities, promote social cohesion as well as to support the Government of Jordan in developing a vibrant social entrepreneurship ecosystem, UNDP launched “Heart of Amman (HoA)” in July 2019 funded by the People of Japan, according to a statement from the UN agency.

The programme successfully contributed to providing entrepreneurship opportunities to more than 200 vulnerable community members and entrepreneurs with social impact, the statement said.

To build on the achieved progress, UNDP designed an upscaled and expanded programme, “Heart of Amman II”, in partnership with the Japanese government. 

This programme aims at advancing the development of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and the promotion of policy dialogue to implement solutions to commonly faced development challenges, through the establishment of social enterprises.

In its second phase, the programme includes technical assistance for social enterprise policy development, including policy dialogue workshops across April-June 2021 with key stakeholders, social enterprises and civil society, in support to the Social Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee, as they develop the social entrepreneurship policy and enable a social economy environment in Jordan.

UNDP Jordan and Impact Hub Network will be helping to develop policies and regulations in support of social entrepreneurs, leveraging the work done to date in the Jordanian context and international relevant practices, including the use of the OECD Better Entrepreneurship Tool. 

The initial topics covered in the kick off workshop in April 2021, included a review of approaches on legal forms and regulations as well as relevant practices to set up an effective policy context — including on social enterprise culture, access to market and finance, impact measurement and evaluation, and skills and business development support. 

Through a series of further workshops, stakeholder consultations and research taking place during May and June, the gaps, opportunities and key needs regarding policy are mapped out. In a follow-up workshop during June, a report summarising key policy recommendations will be discussed with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and involved stakeholders, the statement said. 

Following this, co-created policy initiatives, as well as a roadmap for policy development, will be proposed and presented. 

UNDP Resident Representative Sara Ferrer Olivella said: “We are pleased today to launch the first UNDP SE Policy Workshop in partnership with MODEE and the Social Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee, following our cooperation MoU with MODEE. Social entrepreneurship in Jordan offers not only a path for young Jordanians to transform their own lives, but also a way to empower others. We believe that young social entrepreneurs have a key role to play in contributing to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

Gabriela Gandel, Executive Director of Impact Hub Global, said: “We applaud MoDEE’s initiative to acknowledge social entrepreneurship as a key approach to building a strong economy and society, generating inclusive jobs, spurring innovation and contributing to the SDGs. We are inspired to contribute relevant international practice from the 60 countries we are present in, in support of this process and our partners at UNDP Jordan”.