The USAID/Jordan’s 2020-2025 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) identified increased political participation and a vibrant civil society as key to Jordan’s ability to increase citizen trust in the Government of Jordan (GOJ) and achieve consensus on needed reforms. As part of the long-standing partnership between Jordan and the United States, the USAID/Jordan Mission developed a new CDCS in 2020 which allocates 35,000,000 USD$ over 5 years. The new strategy retains the goal of supporting Jordan’s stability. Supporting citizen-state interaction is a critical component of this strategy.
The purpose of the Sawt activity is to discover new ways of developing sustainable civic engagement through civil society and digital media. Successful implementation will leverage new paradigms for civic engagement, greater citizen participation, and more capable networks of organizations that constructively engage in advocacy, while representing the interests of citizens. Sawt also aims to enhance citizen knowledge by developing the quality and professionalism of digital media communications within private and public media outlets, while helping consumers discern between misinformation/disinformation and quality reporting.
The Sawt activity is expected to advance self-reliance by strengthening the capacity of actors within the civil society and media systems in Jordan and the commitment to see these solutions through effectively, inclusively, and with accountability.
Sawt’s Objectives
The following objectives are organized based on the conceptual framework described above:
- Online media provides ethical and verifiable information that citizens can rely on for constructive contribution to civic discourse.
- Citizens and civil society organizations effectively participate in civic spaces and advocate for policies through collective action.
- CSOs demonstrate measurable improvements related to their networks, organizational development, and advocacy.
- CSOs and media content creators more effectively serve marginalized communities.