The National Information Center would like to acknowledge the kind contributions of all the organizations (governmental, NGO’s, private) who contributed to this strategy and the member who participated in the workshop that was held at the Dead Sea resort, without their involvement and input this report would not have been complete. The financial and other support of METAP/ CBU and UNDP is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks is also due to the team who put every things together and who worked very hard to achieve this strategy.

Executive Summary

The subject of the environment in Jordan is diverse. It involves various disciplines and sectors of the economy and many organizations and ministries. Availability of environmental information within the environment sector concerning water, water quality, solid waste, pollution, desertification,…etc, is not satisfying users’ needs. The major environmental information challenges facing users are as follows:

Absence of a coordinating body to manage access and dissemination of environmental information among all stakeholders in Jordan;
Lack of Information Technology (IT) , infrastructure, and qualified personnel within environment related institutions;
Weakness and absence of some laws and regulations governing the environment information in Jordan.

The main objectives of the study are:

To investigate the situation of information in the environment sector in Jordan and to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the present situation.
To identify the institutional and organizational structure
To organize and control the data collection, storage, and information dissemination
To identify the needs of the environmental information systems, such as networks and technology
To bridge the data gap and improve information availability for sustainable development
To identify capacity building and training needs
To propose projects for achieving some of the above objectives
To produce action plans to fulfill the above mentioned objectives to meet international standards and requirements of Agenda 21

On the other hand, there are some other opportunities within the country that can drive positive impact on the environment information needs, such as;

Agenda 21;
King Hussein Environmental Management Training Program;
National Information System,
Sustainable Development Network Program.

A sense of dissatisfaction prevails in relation to the present information situation. However, the practical implementation of effective improvement measures is very promising, particularly in modern electronic data communication technologies. Environmental information plays a vital role in protecting environment as well as other issues. Environmental information should be addressed at all levels, from that of senior national and international decision-makers, to that of grass-roots organizations and individuals. Some of those needs:

Electronic information media such as CD-ROM and On-Line search, which shows the serious need for integrated communication system at all Levels (national, regional, and international);
Most IT personnel handling environmental information require advanced training for better quality of information provision;

From a management point of view, in order to facilitate the previous mentioned needs, the government should allocate the required financial support. Environmental information strategy bridges the data gap and improves information availability for sustainable development.

Eventually, the environment information services including IT, needs to be developed to catch-up with the mainstream of the global information scene. As a matter of fact, the government of Jordan has been involved in the protection of the environment and sustainable development since the Rio Summit. In 1991 a national environment strategy was developed and it addressed and identified the needs and importance for environmental information.

Key environment-related organizations were selected from different parts of the country (public, non-government organizations, and academic and research organizations) to conduct a study, which relied on a field survey that was conducted through a questionnaire. The objectives were to gather information on specific aspects of environment information, its providers, users, IT systems and main stakeholders roles and attitudes. Of utmost importance was the objective of producing at the end an environment information strategy that would help develop the environment information situation to meet international standards including the requirements of Agenda 21 that was agreed upon and signed by Jordan.

The final analysis of the study showed that, in the present status of environmental information services, there are good features that invite development as well as weak points that need abatement. Moreover, providers and users of environmental information aspire to maximizing the already existing channels of information sources, coordination, and training that would bring about quality information services.

On the other hand, there are barriers and constraints to the use of information and its accessibility. They basically include, limited resources to develop the IT infrastructure, to upgrade training, and to use other local and international information sources. It is believed that there are cultural attitudes that obstruct, in some cases, accessibility to information.

The proposed strategy requires the allocation of adequate funding to sustain the development needs of environment information. The government is a major player in enforcing laws and regulations for the sustainable development of the information sector and in facilitating the accessibility of information for better utilization of environmental information allocations.

The Environmental Information Strategy discussed in brief missions and interrelations of the involved institutions, nature of their activities, type of information they produce, and number of personnel. The proposed strategy has taken into account the following elements;

Value of Environmental Information
Role of Government Framework
Information Infrastructure and Information Technology
CulturAspects and Human Factor
International and Regional Cooperation

Cultural and human factors need to be changed through intensive training in quality information service. The importance of regional and international exchange of information in satisfying information needs and synergism to gain advanced knowledge concerning environmental information. The adoption and implementation of the Jordan Environment Act in 1995, stipulated the establishment of the General Corporation for Environment Protection (GCEP) to play a leadership role in environment protection and sustainable development. The proposed strategy recommends that the GCEP reinforce its ultimate leadership role in protecting the environment.

To realize the strategy, an Environment Information Centre (ENVIC) is proposed for establishing a national focal point for environmental information.

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