In the French capital, Paris, the Jordanian-French governmental consultations on development cooperation for the period (2023-2026) were concluded, in which a Jordanian delegation headed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zina Touqan participated, and included the Chargé d’Affaires of the Jordanian Embassy in Paris, representatives of the Ministry of Environment, and the Water Authority.

As a result of these consultations, an agreement was reached on a fifth memorandum of understanding framing development cooperation with the French side for the years (2023-2026). Joint in the framework of implementing the paths of economic modernization and the public sector.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Planning today, Wednesday, Toukan signed with the Executive Vice President of the French Development Agency, Marie-Hélène Lauzon, in the presence of the French Minister of State for Development, La Francophonie and International Partnerships, Chrisola Zakaropoulou, on the fifth memorandum of understanding that frames development cooperation between the two sides for the years 2023-2026, and provides a new financing ceiling. For the Kingdom, up to 912 million euros, which will be directed to finance sectoral programs through the general budget and priority development and investment projects, as the two sides will jointly implement them within the framework of the various modernization paths.

The memorandum of understanding includes providing financing amounting to 650 million euros in the form of soft loans for sectoral support through the general budget and financing priority infrastructure projects, as well as providing financing for the private sector amounting to 200 million euros through the Proparco company of the French Development Agency, which is specialized in financing The private sector, in addition to providing grants amounting to 62 million euros to support the Jordanian response plan to the Syrian crisis, and providing technical support to build the technical and institutional capacities of the ministries and institutions concerned with the implementation of projects that will be contracted within the framework of the implementation of the memorandum.

The consultations included bilateral meetings with a number of French officials and institutions concerned with the economic development sectors.

According to the statement, bilateral meetings were held with the French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships and senior officials in the French Ministry concerned with Foreign and European Affairs, during which they discussed ways to strengthen and develop relations and cooperation between the two countries and the subsequent steps to implement the Memorandum of Understanding between them.

The meeting allowed these officials to brief these officials on the various comprehensive economic and administrative reforms that Jordan is working on, and the priorities for the next stage within the framework of the executive program for the years (2023-2025) for the economic modernization vision and the public sector modernization map, where the French side was urged to continue supporting priority development efforts and projects. To face economic challenges, including the challenges resulting from hosting Syrian refugees, and the importance of the international community continuing to provide support to Jordan to continue providing services to refugees, and the communities hosting them, especially in light of the lack of funding provided for the response plan to the Syrian crisis.

The importance of the new support of financial and technical assistance was also emphasized within the fifth memorandum of understanding, which reflects France’s understanding of the challenges facing the Jordanian economy at this stage, and its willingness to stand by Jordan as a reliable partner to contribute to enabling Jordan to face these challenges.

For her part, the French minister and officials of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs affirmed France’s great support for Jordan, and its continuous commitment to strengthening economic and development cooperation with Jordan, to support the priorities of the next stage in the Kingdom, with the importance of translating the signed memorandum of understanding into projects and programs that support the implementation of these national priorities.

During the meeting with stakeholders in the company (PROPARCO), they were briefed on the most important sectoral priorities within the executive program of the vision for the years 2023-2025 in terms of programs and projects for the coming period, and the reforms that Jordan is implementing, in addition to the efforts it is working on in the field of supporting the business and investment environment. Under the new investment law and partnership between the public and private sectors.

The company affirmed its interest in supporting the national water carrier project (Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Transportation) and school building projects in the form of a partnership between the public and private sectors, and continuing to support small and medium enterprises, by providing lines of credit through commercial banks for these institutions, with a focus on youth and women. .

During another meeting at the technical level with senior officials of the French Development Agency, priority projects in the water sector and climate change were discussed with them, such as water loss reduction projects, the national water carrier, and sanitation projects, in addition to discussing the next steps to put the memorandum of understanding into practice. Implementation To translate technical cooperation priorities into projects and actions that will support the implementation of national priorities with the possibility of the Agency providing support in the field of automation in the framework of the implementation of the road map for modernization of the public sector and projects related to governance.

The Jordanian-French governmental consultations also included a dialogue on sectors and areas of priority and common interest for bilateral development cooperation, including projects funded through existing and new financial and technical assistance (water and sanitation sectors, environment and climate change, energy and transportation, and encouraging the private sector).

Minister Toukan briefed the French side, during these consultations, on the most important reforms that the government will adopt in the water sector, and developments in preparations for the national water carrier project.

The Minister of Planning renewed her thanks to the French government for the pledges announced by France within the European team at the donors’ conference by providing development and investment loans worth 200 million euros to contribute to the financing of this project, in addition to a technical grant of 5 million euros, calling on the French side to provide more Grants and concessional financing for this strategic project.

The Minister of Planning also affirmed Jordan’s continuation to move forward with the comprehensive modernization project and the political, economic and administrative tracks within the framework of the political modernization system, the economic modernization vision and the public sector modernization roadmap.

In their turn, the representatives of the French side praised the efforts made by the Jordanian government to overcome the economic and financial challenges it faces, as well as the modernization and reform programs that are being implemented in the Kingdom, while stressing France’s interest in moving forward with support for priority development programs and projects during the coming period and within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding. for the years 2023-2026.