Future Leaders Visit to Jordan

July 2023

As part of the Future Leaders Programme, CGP took a delegation of future cross-party parliamentary candidates to see UK development projects in Jordan and learn more about the importance of development, diplomacy and defence.

The candidates began with a visit to Turquoise Mountain, the charity established by King Charles III and Rory Stewart (former MP and Development Minister). The charity teaches refugees building preservation and restoration skills in countries such as Jordan and Afghanistan in order to save building techniques and knowledge. The organisation also works to support teaching crafting and entrepreneurship to refugees.

The delegation then visited the Jordan Head Office of the British Council, an organisation established to promote the education of the English language and work to improve education and examination standards. Whilst meeting with teachers and the British Council leadership, the candidates were able to hear about the work British Council does to education children and adults, and hear about British Council’s partnership with the Jordanian Armed Forces which allows people from Jordan to learn English and then access entry tests at Sandhurst in the UK.

The first day concluded with the candidates meeting with the Development Director from the UK Embassy in Jordan to discuss the challenges facing Jordan and the wider region, Jordan’s role in the Middle East and the UK’s role in Jordan.

The second day began with a visit to the Za’atari refugee camp, just 10km away from the Syrian border. The camp is currently accommodating over 80,000 refugees who fled from the conflict in Syria. The NGO is operated by a group of international NGOs, the Jordanian Government and multilateral organisations such as bodies of the United Nations. The candidates heard from the camp management about how reductions in funding from Government partners was causing reductions in services as well as the pressures of inflation and aging infrastructure. The delegation then met with a group of refugees who were able to speak about their journey to Jordan, life in the camp as well as their hopes to one day return to their homes in Syria.

Finally, the group visited the Jordanian Parliament where they were able to meet with the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The group heard how security in the immediate region remains a key priority of the Jordanian Government, democratic reforms within Jordan and the introduction of the political parties and the importance of the UK’s partnership and support for Jordan.