Common use of Background and Consultative Process Clause in Contracts

Background and Consultative Process. Jordan is a highly urbanized Middle Eastern country with a population of approximately six million people. With limited access to surface water or naturally recharged aquifers, Jordan ranks among the world’s five most water poor countries. Jordan was deemed eligible for MCC Compact assistance in 2006. Late in 2007, the Government established the Millennium Challenge Unit (the “MCU”) to work directly with MCC to manage the process of developing a proposed Compact program. Following a detailed constraints analysis and sector analysis, the MCU conducted a broad consultative process that garnered feedback from private sector representatives, civil society organizations, donors, and ordinary citizens through large, town-hall style meetings in each of Jordan’s twelve governorates. Throughout this process, the challenge of addressing Jordan’s severe water shortages emerged as a key priority. The MCU invited key stakeholders in the water, sewer and sanitation sector to participate in a project design workshop that focused on the objective of making more water available to households and commercial users. Stakeholders emphasized the need to (a) improve water delivery systems to reduce water losses and (b) expand capacities for collecting and treating wastewater and reusing it in agriculture, wherever appropriate. The Government has identified specific projects related to the rehabilitation of the water distribution system and expansion of the capacity for collecting and treating wastewater in Zarqa Governorate, among the poorest and most urban areas in the country, and the expansion of the capacity of an existing wastewater treatment plant that treats the majority of wastewater from Amman and Zarqa Governorates.