Challenges Ahead

The availability of social protection measures is clearly addressed by the National Strategy. In fact, approximately 40 per cent of the estimated cost of the Strategy relates to policies for family empowerment and social protection. However, evaluating the extent to which persons with disabilities in Jordan benefit from social protection is a difficult task, especially given the lack of relevant data. The issue of funding for specific social protection programmes is also exacerbated by the absence of references to sources of funding in the Law and the National Strategy.

Accessibility of social protection is a key issue. The Strategy stresses the need to make mainstream social protection measures, including financial assistance, housing and insurance programmes, and retirement, more easily accessible to persons with disabilities.  In addition, facilitating access of persons with disabilities in rural and remote areas to social protection must also be set as a priority. Moreover, gender needs to be accounted for. Old people constitute a particularly vulnerable sub-group, and their access to pensions should be facilitated. In that regard, it is noteworthy that neither the National Disability Strategy nor the National Strategy for Senior Citizens addresses specifically the issue of pensions for senior persons with disabilities.

The work of non-governmental actors raises a number of questions that relate to issues of financing as well as to their approach to social protection. Most NGOs and charities rely on donations from the community. Only AHS clearly displays the ability to establish secure relationships with international donors and the private sector to fund their services. Moreover, the approach of these organizations is based on charity rather than on the protection and fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities.