Own Al-Kufairy

Over the past five years, civil society in Jordan and the wider region has experienced profound transformations that have disrupted development pathways and directly impacted the sustainability of social and humanitarian services. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and most recently, the U.S. decision to suspend foreign aid and shut down USAID offices, a series of crises has unfolded rapidly, leading to a significant contraction in available funding for non-governmental organizations.

Previously, local organizations were able to implement large-scale programs targeting the most vulnerable groups—women, children, refugees, and host communities—through interventions in women’s empowerment, child protection, livelihoods, and psychosocial support. However, in recent years, the fragility of the funding ecosystem has become apparent, making it increasingly difficult to secure sustainable resources to maintain these critical programs.

What is particularly concerning is that the decline in support does not merely threaten project continuity—it exposes already fragile communities to even more complex crises. For instance, programs aimed at preventing early marriage among girls had shown promising results in recent years, but many are now at risk of being discontinued. This threatens to undo hard-won progress and may return us to alarming rates of exploitation and deprivation.

A new social reality is emerging across Jordan and the region—one characterized by poverty, rising unemployment, and declining quality of essential services. This increases the likelihood of gender-based violence and the collapse of community safety nets. In this context, hundreds of NGOs are shrinking or struggling to survive, not due to a lack of competence or effort, but because of external factors and shifting global priorities.

As an active member of both local and regional civil society networks, I can confidently say that this is not an isolated crisis. What we are witnessing is not just an institutional challenge, but a systemic one. The traditional donor-recipient relationship has proven inadequate in the face of these overlapping crises. There is a pressing need to reimagine funding models—toward more sustainable, independent frameworks grounded in genuine partnerships, local capacity-building, and community resilience.

Cuts to external aid should not be assessed solely from a financial perspective. The real cost lies in the long-term social consequences—on development, social cohesion, and the future of vulnerable populations.

And yet, despite this grim reality, there remains a wealth of untapped youth and community potential across Jordan and the region. What we need now is space to act, confidence in our capabilities, and equitable partnerships that recognize that development should not be a secondary concern in the face of politics and security.