In September 2000, H.M. King Abdullah II, together with 146 heads of State and Government – and 191 nations in total - adopted the Millennium Declaration with the set of 8 goals and 18 targets contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs include a set of numerical and time-bound targets that encapsulate the basic aspirations for a better world. Achieving the MDGs within the lifespan of this generation would mean that between 1990 and 2015, we halve income poverty and hunger; guarantee primary education for all girls and boys; reduce by two third a child’s risk of dying before age five; reduce by three quarters a woman’s risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes; stop and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; protect the ecosystem and biodiversity; and ensure that developed countries grant more aid, fairer trade and steeper debt relief.

This Millennium Development Goals Report is the first MDGR for Jordan, and will be followed with interim reports on a regular basis. The main premise of the reports is to move the Millennium commitments from the global to the local level and create the necessary links between global target setting and national priority setting. They will supply the country with frequent updates towards the country’s attainment of the Goals and serve as unique benchmarks to analyze trends and to identify achievements, challenges and obstacles.

Excellent availability of statistics in Jordan assisted the process of monitoring and review. Periodic comprehensive surveys have been conducted by the Department of Statistics, such as the recent Household Expenditure and Income Survey 2002 as well as the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). This report has incorporated these and other data and statistics: the base-line year for this report is 1990.

The MDGR will serve as a tool for awareness-raising, advocacy, alliance-building, and renewal of political commitments at the country level, as well as to build national capacity for monitoring and reporting on Jordan’s goals and targets through a database that enables decision makers and civil society at large to measure the progress in achieving these MDGs, in addition to helping them take the appropriate measures for resource distribution, overcoming obstacles and achieving the goals.

The MDGR is, therefore, primarily a public affairs document and is meant to be read not only by policy makers and development partners, but also by the media and the general public as short and easy-to-read reviews. The report will help focus the national development debate on specific priorities. Its key objective is to generate a “can do” atmosphere so that policy-makers and other actors are encouraged to act.