Minister urges data-driven legislative reform to boost public trust
18/04/2026 | 19:47:54
Amman, April 18 (Petra) -- Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badria Al Balbisi on Saturday called on government ministries and institutions to prioritize regulatory impact assessments for all new policies and legislation, describing them as strategic tools for ensuring sustainable, high-quality governance and the efficient use of public resources.
Speaking at a Prime Ministry panel for secretaries-general and directors-general of government bodies, Al Balbisi highlighted the 2025 "Good Regulation and Impact Assessment of Legislation and Policies" system. The session, attended by Prime Ministry Secretary-General Mohammad Ashraf Al-Zoubi and Cabinet Secretary Faisal Al-Abdallat, is part of a series of government meetings focused on the second executive program for public sector modernization (2026-2029).
Al Balbisi emphasized that senior government officials must direct their teams to conduct proactive, evidence-based planning. She noted that these studies must rely on rigorous data and analyze potential economic, social, and environmental impacts before policies are implemented.
To support these efforts, the minister announced an upcoming project that will establish a specialized core of economic experts. This team will provide technical assistance to ministries and government institutions in conducting impact assessments for major strategic projects.
Mai Olayan, Director of the Good Regulation and Impact Assessment Unit at the Prime Ministry, delivered a presentation on the new system, which entered into force last September. She explained that the framework serves as a methodology for analyzing the anticipated consequences of public policies and legislation before their adoption, ensuring that decisions are grounded in objective data to maximize legislative efficiency.
According to Olayan, the unit has received 45 impact assessment studies from various government entities since the system's inception. She noted that the success of these evaluations depends heavily on the leadership of secretaries-general and directors-general in forming specialized teams and supervising the quality of the findings before they are submitted alongside proposed legislation.
During the session, several senior officials provided feedback on the 2025 regulatory system, underscoring its importance in ensuring that legislation remains sustainable and measurable in its impact on Jordanian citizens.
//Petra// AF