Jordan has developed an institutional integrity framework led by the Jordanian Integrity and Anticorruption Commission (JIACC), but challenges remain in relation to its financial and administrative independence and inter-institutional co-ordination. The regulatory framework for integrity could benefit from further simplification and harmonisation. Integrity policies could also be better mainstreamed throughout the public administration, both at the central and local levels. OECD recommends:

• Reinforcing JIACC’s preventive mandate and financial and administrative independence.

• Establishing a permanent co-ordination mechanism between key Jordanian integrity actors to ensure synergies and avoid overlaps.

• Establishing integrity officers in all public entities in the central administration and in municipalities to provide ad hoc advice, guidance and training related to public integrity.

Since 2008, Jordan has developed comprehensive strategies to address corruption challenges, including the Anti-Corruption Strategies of 2008-2012, 2013-2017 and the current National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Strategy (NIACS) 2017(2020)-2025. The next NIACS offers an opportunity to renew the country’s political commitment to integrity and launch a comprehensive and nation-wide consultation process. OECD recommends:

• Ensuring a participative and evidence-informed design of the next NIACS, which should consider, for example, information gathered through the National Integrity Indicators, the integrity risk assessments and the evaluation of the NIACS 2020-2025.

• Defining an action plan for the NIACS, including required financial resources, and a monitoring and evaluation framework with a set of indicators to assess its implementation and impact and to allow for learning and accountability.

Jordan has adopted principles and values to foster a culture of integrity within the public administration. However, additional clarity and guidance are needed to build ownership and ensure all public officials understand what is expected from them. Public officials need more support to identify and manage conflicts of interest and to build capacities for managing integrity, especially at the municipal level. Jordan is currently modernising public human resource management, providing an opportunity to further integrate integrity and transparency into these processes. OECD recommends:

• Strengthening conflict-of-interest regulations by including definitions and procedures, complemented with guidance on key concepts, including examples and detailed steps on managing conflict of interest.

• Undertaking a participatory process to review and simplify the current principles and values for public officials and complement these efforts with tailored and innovative awareness-raising campaigns and capacity-building activities aimed at promoting behavioural change.

• To mitigate risks of favouritism in recruitments, the Service and Public Administration Commission (SPAC) could continue to clarify job categories and selection criteria as well ensure timely and broad advertising of openings.

Jordan has implemented several initiatives to raise awareness about the negative consequences of corruption and the role of citizens, civil society, academia and the private sector in combating it. By partnering with external stakeholders and public entities, JIACC developed awareness raising campaigns targeting youth and citizens. There is an opportunity to further invest in integrity, participation and openness to enhance trust in public institutions and foster a whole-of-society commitment to public integrity. OECD recommends:

• Encouraging dialogue among citizens and the public sector to identify shared values, principles and norms and to allow citizens to express their expectations from their government.

• Civil society organisations and private companies could further strengthen their commitment to integrity by undertaking autonomous self-regulation efforts while recognising their heterogeneity.

• Led by Jordan, donors (i.e., bilateral and multilateral development organisations) could establish official co-ordination channels on integrity to reduce duplication risks and prioritise alignment with national priorities and local needs.

The Ministry of Finance, the Audit Bureau (AB) and JIACC play a key role in risk management as well as in internal control and audit within the public sector. Despite recent efforts, integrity risk management is not yet implemented across public institutions. Moreover, challenges remain in the reforms aimed at changing the profile of internal control units from ex ante to ex post control. Jordan’s constitutional and legal framework includes provisions for the independence of the AB, Jordan’s Supreme Audit Institution. However, additional efforts are needed to strengthen its independence and to improve stakeholders’ understanding of the AB’s work and its role in accountability. OECD recommends:

• Implementing an integrated risk management framework, entailing senior management commitment, the assignment of clear roles and responsibilities and established means of co-operation.

• Ensuring internal control units assume their third line role by building capacities and providing training to internal control units in line with international standards.

• Strengthening the AB’s independence, for example by clarifying the term of appointment of its Head, ensuring no interference in the institution’s proposed budget and providing independence in the recruitment of its staff.

• Developing a stakeholder engagement strategy to communicate the impact of the AB’s work to public institutions and citizens.

Jordan has established several channels for reporting integrity violations, but more efforts are needed to ensure these channels are clear, consistent, coherent and visibly effective. With Regulation 62 of 2014, Jordan became the first country in the MENA region to enact whistleblower protection legislation. Now, there is an opportunity to learn from the experience so far, provide further clarity and close remaining gaps. The Judiciary Branch has become more effective and efficient, but additional efforts could strengthen preliminary investigations carried out by JIACC and improve required inter-institutional co-ordination. OECD recommends:

• Establishing clear procedures for transferring reported cases across responsible public institutions and publishing a short guide in plain language to explain the different reporting channels.

• Strengthening the whistle-blower protection framework by , for instance, clarifying key definitions and protection measures, integrating a good faith clause in existing legislation and allowing anonymous reporting.

• Strengthening criminal enforcement by establishing regular channels for co-ordination and co-operation between investigative entities at national and international levels and building competencies of investigators at JIACC and judges.