Jordan
1.507
134.495
Jordan
Jordan Key Figures National Report.pdf
(175.06 KB)
Key figures
Jordan Key Figures Highlights.pdf
(68.35 KB)
Key figures
Research overview
Responding to challenges and existing knowledge gaps facing the cooperative movement, this mapping research seeks to provide exhaustive information on cooperatives worldwide. This is achieved through a process jointly conducted by the ICA and its four regional offices – Cooperatives of the Americas, Cooperatives Europe, ICA Africa, and ICA Asia-Pacific – using a common methodology. Each office collected the input of ICA members present in the countries within its geographic area, by using the same questionnaire, and completing it with relevant national statistics, in order to obtain an accurate picture of the national situation. Mapping out cooperatives in each country provides a more precise picture of the cooperative context at national and regional levels, enhances the movement's visibility, networking, partnerships opportunities, as well as advocacy, and empowers cooperators by providing them tools for positive change.
This webpage presents a snapshot of the research results for Jordan. For more information, you can download the full report and the highlights here.
History
The cooperative movement in Jordan started with establishment of the Cooperative Development Department (CDD) in 1952 following the first cooperative law issued in 1952. In 2021, Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the National Cooperative Strategy for Jordan (2021-2025) on the occasion of the International Day of Cooperatives to promote and develop cooperatives in Jordan.
Overview
ICA has one member from Jordan
In Jordan, the data collected was for the reference year 2019-2020.
Summary
ICA member represents 1,507 cooperatives with 134,495 members.
Cooperatives in Jordan are present in diverse sectors including multipurpose, agricultural, housing, utility and mutual, etc.
Legal framework
Legal Framework Highlights - Jordan.pdf
(76.14 KB)
Legal framework
Legal framework
Legal research overview
The legal framework analysis aims to provide general knowledge of the national cooperative legislation and of its main characteristics and contents, with particular regard to those aspects of regulation regarding the identity of cooperatives and its distinction from other types of business organisations, notably the for-profit shareholder corporation.
It aims to evaluate whether the national legislation in place supports or hampers the development of cooperatives, and is therefore “cooperative friendly” or not, and the degree to which it may be considered so, also in comparison to the legislation in force in other countries of the ICA region, or at the supranational level.
In addition, the research aims to provide recommendations for eventual renewal of the legal frameworks in place in order to understand what changes in the current legislation would be necessary to improve its degree of “cooperative friendliness”, which is to say, to make the legislation more favourable to cooperatives, also in consideration of their specific identity. This webpage presents a snapshot of the legal framework analysis results for Jordan.
General overview
In Jordan, there are two principal legislations that regulate the work of cooperatives - the Co-operative Law (No. 18 of 1997) and the Cooperative Societies Charter (No. 36 of 2016). These two legislations govern all different types of cooperatives.
Main Laws relevant to cooperatives in Jordan
Co-operative Law (No. 18 of 1997) - Establishes and provides for the administration of the Jordan Cooperative Corporation, an entity established by law and mandated the responsibility of overseeing, promoting and registering cooperatives.
Cooperative Societies Charter - Governs the registration and administration of cooperatives
The cooperative law makes explicit reference to the cooperative principles. However, the law does not define what these principles are. The Cooperative Societies Charter contains some implicit references to these principles.
Cooperative friendliness
Due to a lack of some important provisions, the Jordanian cooperative legislation is deemed more unfriendly than friendly. This is because the objective of the law is not defined at all. Also, there is a lack of clarity regarding definitions and preambles in the legislations which weakens the cooperative identity. The authority to audit a cooperative is not vested in the General Assembly but in the Jordan Cooperative Corporation.
Key recommendations for improvement
- Cooperative legislation needs to be complemented with Rules or Regulations for its effective implementation.
- The redrafting of cooperative legislation is required to safeguard cooperatives from external control which compromises their democracy and autonomy.
- Members’ use of cooperative must be given more prominence in the law.
Conclusions
Cooperatives in Jordan need an enabling environment that strengthens their autonomy and facilitates their access to financial and technical support.
The legal frameworks analysis is a tool developed under the ICA-EU Partnership #coops4dev. It is an overview of the national legal frameworks at the time of writing. The views expressed within are not necessarily those of the ICA, nor does a reference to any specific content constitute an explicit endorsement or recommendation by the ICA.