Western Aid Cooperation in Meltdown Radical Change Required- After Critical Self-Reflection
The international aid sector is in shock. The suspension of all, and subsequent cancellation of many, USAID contracts, and the dismissal of most of its staff, has an immediate impact on millions of people and thousands of aid-funded organisations, UN and international and local/national NGOs, but also government institutions running programmes with US funding. The […]
Changes in the US Policies and their Impact on Women’s Rights and Women Organizations in Jordan
President Trump’s administration’s decision to globally freeze US foreign development assistance for 90 days, pending reassessment, and to halt all initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) sent shockwaves through the humanitarian and development sectors worldwide. In Jordan -home to one of the largest refugee populations and heavily reliant on foreign aid to support […]
Global Impacts of Shifting US Gender Policies
President Trump administration’s rollback of gender-focused policies and foreign aid cuts—totaling over $8 billion—poses significant challenges for civil society organizations advancing gender equality, reproductive rights, and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) initiatives. The defunding of these programs deprioritizes gender-inclusive security policies and weakens peacebuilding networks, disproportionately impacting grassroots movements in the Global South. As U.S. […]
The Role of Monitoring and Advocacy in Ending the Retention of Personal Identification Documents by Jordanian Hospitals – Legal Analysis Series Volume 3
Since 2020, the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) has monitored the illegal practice of retaining personal identification documents by Jordanian hospitals as collateral for unpaid medical fees. This practice disproportionately has impacted refugees and low-income Jordanians, denying them access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and employment. Through extensive fieldwork, ARDD documented […]
ANATOMY OF POWER:INTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIES & NATIONAL CRISIS RESPONDERS – PAPER (4)
International aid agencies, particularly those involved in crisis-response who handle larger budgets, have power over national crisis responders. The primary source of that power is money. It is not just the money that is currently available for a particular crisis response, but many years of good resourcing that has allowed international organisations to attract and […]
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER STEERING- AND GOVERNANCE GROUPS: RENDER FUNDEMENTAL EXPECTATIONS OF BEHAVIOUR EXPLICCIT – PAPER (3)
Over the years, I have observed multi-stakeholder ‘steering committees’ or ‘governance’ groups. These refer to, for example, the steering committee of a network of member organizations, the steering group of a particular collaborative project or program, or the governing council of an organizational entity that includes members from other organizations that have an interest in […]
Building Resilience: Strengthening CBOs for Social Cohesion in Southern Jordan
This Policy Brief is informed by an in-depth analysis led by the Al-Nahda Women’s Studies Team at ARDD, examining the role of women-led and youth-led community-based organizations (CBOs) in fostering social cohesion in Southern Jordan. The research, conducted from November 2023 to January 2024, explores how these CBOs and other stakeholders, advance social cohesion initiatives […]
Donors & Intermediaries: Critical Self-Awareness and a Conversation Guide
Collaborative Efforts towards Collective Impact Series – Paper (2)
This is our second briefing and reflection paper on intermediaries. It contributes to an ongoing critical reflection in the aid sector.The behaviours of notably international aid agencies, acting as ‘intermediaries’ for the funding to local and national actors (LNA), have come under scrutiny, given the international commitments to better support and reinforce national and local […]
Intermediary Organizations under the Spotlight: Why?
The Collaborative Efforts towards Collective Impact Series -Paper (1)
In 2016, at the World Humanitarian Summit, all the big players in the international humanitarian aid system, committed to ‘better support and reinforce national and local actors’. Since then, the roles and behaviors of notably international aid agencies, acting as ‘intermediaries’ for the funding to national and local actors, have come under closer review. This […]
Localizing UNSCR 1325: The Role of Jordanian Women-Led CSOs
This Policy Brief outlines the analysis drawn from the research “The role of civil society organizations with women leadership implementing UNSCR 1325 and JONAP in Jordan” conducted from April to August 2023 by the Al Nahda Women Studies Unit Team at ARDD. Serving as the primary foundation for the reasoning and recommendations developed herein, the […]