JORDAN: MCC INDICATOR SCORECARDS DELIVERED

UNCLAS AMMAN 004328 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/IFD/ODF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: JO EAID PREL PGOV ETRD ECON KMCA MCC SUBJECT: JORDAN: MCC INDICATOR SCORECARDS DELIVERED REF: STATE 146777 ¶1. (SBU) Reftel points were delivered to Nasser Shraideh, Secretary General at the Ministry of Planning, on October 23 SIPDIS by visiting MCC Director of Threshold Programs Maria Longi, accompanied by DCM and USAID officers. MCC representative Longi explained the rationale of the scorecards, along with changes in the categories (which this year include Land Rights and Access and Natural Resource Management for the first time). Emboffs also reiterated the independent nature of the measurements, and the role NGOs play in the measurement of indicators. ¶2. (SBU) Going over the individual indicators, Emboffs noted that Jordan remained above the median in all investing in people categories, and showed improvement in most. In particular, Jordan moved from below median to above median levels in the indicator of girls' primary education completion. On the economic freedom front, Jordan remains above or very near the median in all categories except for fiscal policy. ¶3. (SBU) MCC representative Longi noted to Shraideh that the most significant room for improvement was in the ruling justly category, where Jordan remains below the median in terms of the political rights, civil liberties, and voice and accountability indicators. Assessing the importance of these issues, Longi added that some NGOs within the US have raised with Congress the idea of turning some of these categories into "hard indicators" that would make or break a country's eligibility for MCC assistance. ¶4. (SBU) Reading from a prepared set of talking points, Shraideh outlined the reforms Jordan has made in the past year in terms of the ruling justly category. Successful municipal council elections, a reform of the political parties law, the launch of an Anti-Corruption Commission, financial disclosure laws, a new press and publications law, citizen involvement initiatives, and government support for civil society were all put forward as measurable progress on the political front. Shraideh emphasized that since each of these measures represents a significant advance, they will take time to take root in Jordan's political culture. Hale