Achievements of the Cooperative Foundation for 2022
In the field of cooperation
Facilitating the connection between cooperative associations and donors, where 10 cooperative associations received financial grants from international and local entities worth 591 thousand dinars.
The foundation signed a cooperation agreement with the Marine Fish Farmers Association, under which the association provides training and consultations for cooperatives engaged in fish farming.
The foundation signed a cooperation agreement with the Mahas Tourism Cooperative Association to create an online platform licensed by the relevant government authorities, to register cooperative producers wishing to market their products through this platform.
Legal level
Registration of (42) new cooperative associations.
Modification of the statutes of (31) cooperative associations, including name, classification, and internal regulations.
Cancellation of the registration of (45) associations.
Liquidation of (37) cooperative associations.
The total number of cooperative associations in 2022 reached 1,501, distributed across various governorates of the Kingdom, with approximately 132,000 members and total assets owned by cooperative associations amounting to about 220 million dinars.
Projects and technical support level
The foundation, through the Projects and Technical Support Directorate, worked on:
- Supporting cooperative associations in the Badia regions of Jordan through the Environmental Compensation Program, where the foundation signed (5) agreements with the Environmental Compensation Program/Ministry of Environment to support 5 agricultural cooperative associations with a total value of 264 thousand dinars.
- In addition, (4) agricultural cooperative associations, through the Ministry of Agriculture and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), under the Small Ruminant Investment Project and lifting rural families out of poverty, received a grant of 15 thousand dinars per association, with a total value of 60 thousand dinars, to produce alternative animal feed from agricultural waste.
- The total quantity of uncleaned wheat and barley seed received by the Seed Multiplication Stations of the foundation amounted to 6,836 tons, while the amount of cleaned wheat and barley seed sold to farmers across the Kingdom was 2,993 tons out of 4,579 tons during the current season, while the available stock of cleaned wheat and barley seed amounted to 1,587 tons, in addition to a reserve stock of uncleaned wheat seed of 743 tons.
Training and cooperative education
The foundation, through the Cooperative Training Directorate, which is its educational and training arm, organized:
- (12) training courses in various cooperative fields, aimed at raising the capacities of management committees and members of cooperative associations, particularly newly established ones, and involving university youth in them.
- Providing specialized technical training for associations on topics such as (proper management and governance of cooperatives, cooperative accounting principles and financial records, regulations governing cooperative work, enabling cooperatives to access funding from lending entities, and cooperative marketing).
- A total of (190) cooperative associations participated in these courses, with (211) cooperative participants and university youth in attendance.
- The foundation, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization, held training courses for cooperative associations and their employees on the guide for the operation of career guidance and employment units in associations. These courses help cooperatives set up and manage these units under specific procedures to strengthen their role in providing trained labor to meet the needs of cooperatives, especially in the agricultural sector.
- The foundation, in partnership with the Business Development Center and the National Center for Packaging, organized workshops for cooperative associations on packaging principles to enhance their ability to market their products and increase competitiveness.
- The foundation, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization, and the Kafr Sum Cooperative Association for Pomegranate Producers, organized two training courses on the "Think Coop & Start Coop" curriculum, covering 18 topics from the importance of teamwork and cooperative work to the establishment of a cooperative and its internal regulations.
- The foundation cooperated with Mercy Corps, Advance Consulting, and the International Labour Organization to conduct a training course on the "My Coop" curriculum for several agricultural cooperative associations, where participants were trained by accredited trainers on agricultural cooperative foundations, service provision, input supplies, and cooperative marketing.
- Regarding spreading cooperative culture and training university youth, the foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with Jerash University to train agricultural college students before graduation on cooperative work concepts. A 3-day training program on topics such as the origins of cooperation, Jordan’s cooperative movement, cooperative regulations, and agricultural cooperative management was developed for these students.
- In implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed with the Jordan Engineers Association, the Cooperative Training Directorate trained (10) agricultural engineers and assigned them to field cooperation directorates to gain experience in cooperative regulations and work for a period of (3) months.
- The Cooperative Training Directorate prioritized raising the capacities of the foundation’s employees by organizing training courses for them in coordination with the Institute of Public Administration and international and official bodies. It enrolled (79) employees in (123) training courses, and (13) employees attended external courses, totaling (92) employees with (136) training courses.
Financial aspects
The Cooperative Foundation, through its Financial Affairs Directorate, set financial policies and prepared financial plans for the institution, noting that the foundation is subject to the general budget law ("Government Units Budget and applicable government regulations"). The foundation achieved 94% of its agricultural plan through the tendering process for the purchase and installation of screening units (2) for the Irbid and Madaba Seed Multiplication Stations, worth 410 thousand dinars, in addition to purchasing two ground scales for the same stations worth 75 thousand dinars, and purchasing two fork lifts for 27.5 thousand dinars. Additionally, a tender was issued and executed for the seed station yards worth 195 thousand dinars.
Regarding the implementation of the national strategy for the Jordanian cooperative movement (2021-2025)
Its implementation began in line with the economic modernization vision adopted last year, which included an initiative to establish a system for cooperative associations and federations. It aligns with the results of the public sector development plan, which indicated that the Cooperative Foundation is one of the pillars of economic activities and needs to be restructured to enhance its efficiency and strengthen its role in supporting the economic modernization vision and increasing the contribution of cooperatives to local development and agricultural activities.
In line with the outcomes of the strategy to create a favorable environment for the cooperative movement, the following has been done:
A draft amendment to the Cooperative Law No. (18) of 1997 was prepared and sent to the relevant authorities for discussion, in preparation for its submission to the Cabinet for constitutional approval.
Raising public awareness about cooperatives and enhancing the participation of women, youth, and the informal sector in cooperative work.
Working to create a computerized statistical database for the Jordanian cooperative movement.
Preparation of the draft of the Cooperative Associations Law No. (36) of 2016 and the draft of the Cooperative Federations Law No. (166) of 2016.
Correspondence with the Ministry of Higher Education to introduce courses and topics related to cooperative work in Jordanian universities.
Correspondence with the Ministry of Education to include cooperative topics in the school curriculum.
Networking with the World Bank and the National Committee for Women's Affairs to prepare a study on women’s cooperatives for child care.
Starting the process of automating the institution’s services in coordination with Mercy Corps/Jordan to benefit from the Agricultural Sector and Small Farmers Support Project in Jordan, through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides. This aims to contribute to the development of the cooperative institution’s capabilities, provide it with technical support, assist in the development of the training center, build the capacity of six selected cooperative associations, and improve working methods with the assistance of Mercy Corps, as well as help the institution with a survey of its cooperative associations.
The Jordanian Cooperative Corporation was established under the provisions of the Cooperative Law No. (18) of 1997 as the legal umbrella for the work of cooperative associations. It is responsible for overseeing and supervising them, providing advice and guidance, and approving their budgets.
Thus, the Corporation became the legal successor of the Jordanian Cooperative Organization as one of the public sector institutions. The Corporation was entrusted with several tasks, the most prominent of which are:
- Registering cooperative associations.
- Providing guidance, direction, and technical support.
- Training and spreading the cooperative thought and culture.
- Preparing draft legislations.
- Facilitating communication with donors, lenders, and both governmental and non-governmental institutions.
- Overseeing seed multiplication stations and providing improved wheat and barley seeds to farmers.
- Representing the cooperative sector before official bodies and at international forums.
Cooperative associations, in all their forms and types, have contributed to enhancing the path of sustainable development in all regions of the Kingdom by involving cooperative members from diverse environments, cultures, and economic levels, both men and women, and youth, in implementing development projects with economic, social, and solidarity dimensions. These projects enabled them to improve their living conditions and provide job opportunities in their regions.
The Jordanian Cooperative Corporation, under the Royal directives that have always emphasized sustainable development, succeeded in expanding the spread of cooperatives in local communities. In 2022, the number of cooperatives reached 1,501, distributed across various governorates of the Kingdom, with approximately 132,000 members. The total assets owned by the cooperative associations amounted to nearly 220 million Jordanian dinars.
The cooperative sector is considered the third development sector, alongside the public and private sectors, and is one of the most important means of developing local communities. For this reason, the efforts of the Cooperative Corporation, along with its international and local partners at various levels, have converged to serve this sector and the Jordanian cooperative movement.