Rule of Law Matters in Jordan

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact international travel, Street Law is proud to be able to continue our mission of bringing high-quality civic education to countries around the world.

Earlier this winter, Street Law began a series of three-day workshops in Jordan in partnership with the Arab World Center for Democratic Development United for Human Rights and Democracy (UniHRD).

These workshops were created based on an Arabic language rule of law curriculum Street Law developed last year in collaboration with Jordanian legal and educational experts.

The curriculum, known as Rule of Law Matters, targets a variety of Jordanian educational and community leaders, including youth center directors, public and private school teachers, and university professors and administrators.

This workshop series is designed to do two things :1) educate the participants about the basic concepts and principles of rule of law, and 2) empower them to implement the Rule of Law Matters curriculum within their own organizations.

These goals are accomplished through a series of discussions, simulations, and activities that helped illustrate various rule of law concepts, such as how transparent government relates to rule of law and how rule of law impacts basic rights and corruption.

Among other activities, the participants also acted out a mock court trial that helped demonstrate how the rule of law is applied to the legislative and judicial processes.

Street Law intentionally targets local leaders and prepares them to implement the Rule of Law Matters curriculum so that the lessons may be institutionalized into community systems. This integration helps ensure that the impact of the curriculum will be sustained for years, even after Street Law is no longer involved in the project.

This workshop series will continue around the country throughout the early spring, and the trained participants will begin holding Rule of Law Matters classes for students in late spring.

Altogether, the Rule of Law Matters program has benefitted more than 1,700 Jordanian young people.

This program is financially supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Image: Jordanian officials attend a Rule of Law Matters workshop in Jordan.