Issuing a statement, the Jordan National NGOs Forum (JONAF) expressed reservations about an article in the amendments of Companies Law No. 35 of 2010.  

At a time when the Jordanian government seeks to secure for the civil society organizations an environment that enables them to practice their work within the local and international legal framework, the current House of Representatives approved an article that concerns foreign funding for non-profit companies. The article reads as follows: “If 30 days have passed from the date of submitting the application and no decision has been issued, the funding is considered rejected.” 

JONAF stressed in its statement that non-profit companies are an integral part of civil society organizations, and the amendment limits the freedoms stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which harms these companies’ interest and is, therefore, a violation of the law.

JONAF firmly believes in the need to strengthen the rule of law and requests a reversal of the amendment based on the reasons and legal justification presented in its statement, to consider the failure of the minister to respond to the funding application as an approval or, otherwise, that the case is still open, as already stipulated in the Associations Law. JONAF also urges the government to strengthen the trust between it and the civil society organizations by presenting concrete and effective strategies to support and improve their efficiency, and that only can be achieved through enacting legislation that gives these organizations an enabling space in which to carry out their work, legally and under meaningful, constructive and transparent oversight.

Full statement available in Arabic