Published Progress – SDG16

Public reporting on university progress and performance related to SDG16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Introduction

Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) is strongly committed to advancing peace, justice, transparency, and good governance in alignment with SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The University integrates principles of ethics, accountability, anti-corruption, institutional integrity, and civic participation across academic, administrative, and community engagement systems.

Through the Sustainability & International Ranking Center (SIRC), AAU ensures that all SDG16-related indicators, including governance policies, civic initiatives, transparency measures, youth empowerment activities, and ethics-based procedures, are systematically collected, verified, and publicly reported through the Sustainability Portal, Annual Sustainability Report, and Executive Sustainability Report.

Between 2023 and 2025, AAU achieved measurable progress in SDG 16 through:

strengthening governance and institutional integrity frameworks,
expanding youth participation in public and civic dialogue,
promoting human rights, ethics, and justice education,
publishing governance policies and compliance procedures, and
ensuring strong public transparency across all institutional operations.

This approach directly contributes to SDG 16 targets (16.3–16.10) and aligns fully with Jordan’s National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Strategy (2020–2025) and National Youth Empowerment Programme.

Centers and Departments

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01Sustainability and International Ranking Center (SIRC)

Monitors transparency indicators and governance performance. Publishes verified data and public reports on institutional integrity.

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02Deanship of Student Affairs

Promotes civic engagement, political literacy, and social inclusion. Organizes youth empowerment and civic-responsibility programs.

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03Human Resources and Institutional Development Unit

Oversees staff integrity, training, and policy compliance. Conducts workshops on ethics and institutional transparency.

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04Marketing and Communications Unit

Publishes governance and integrity reports on public platforms. Ensures public access to policies and official communications.

Activities

01AAU Sustainability Report 2024–2025

The Sustainability Report 2024–2025 transparently documents AAU’s governance integrity, ethical leadership, and public accountability framework. It highlights initiatives promoting institutional transparency, community justice education, and policy engagement aligned with SDG 16.6 and 16.7.

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02Executive Sustainability Report (SDG 16 Section) 2024–2025

The Executive Sustainability Report (SDG 16 Section) presents verified data on ethics policies, civic education programs, and collaboration with government institutions to promote peace and justice. It exemplifies AAU’s institutional commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical governance, fulfilling SDG 16 targets (16.3–16.10).

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03Meeting on Youth, Sports, and Culture to Discuss Political Empowerment of Students

AAU participated in a national parliamentary meeting on political empowerment of youth, held by the Parliamentary Committee on Youth, Sports, and Culture. The discussion emphasized enhancing student participation in civic and party life, directly contributing to SDG 16.7 (inclusive decision-making).

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04University Governance Representation Policy

AAU publicly issues its University Governance Representation Policy to ensure transparent selection, equitable participation, and accountability across all governing councils. The policy reinforces SDG 16.6 (effective institutions) and SDG 16.7 (inclusive decision-making) by defining clear roles and fair representation.

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05Transparency and Anti-Corruption Policy

AAU’s Transparency and Anti-Corruption Policy establishes principles for preventing misconduct, promoting ethical practices, and ensuring institutional integrity. This policy aligns with SDG 16.5 (substantially reduce corruption) and SDG 16.6 (develop accountable institutions).

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06Academic Freedom Support Policy

AAU guarantees academic freedom and intellectual independence through this policy, ensuring that faculty and students can pursue research and teaching without external influence. The policy supports SDG 16.10 (public access to information) and SDG 4.7 (inclusive and equitable education).

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07Local Stakeholder Engagement Policy

This policy promotes active dialogue with local communities, NGOs, and civic partners, reinforcing transparency, collaboration, and participatory decision-making. It directly advances SDG 16.7 (inclusive institutions) and SDG 17.17 (multi-stakeholder partnerships).

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08Government Collaboration Policy

AAU’s Government Collaboration Policy defines the framework for constructive engagement with ministries, agencies, and regulatory bodies to co-develop SDG-related strategies. This supports SDG 16.6 (effective institutions) and SDG 17.14 (policy coherence for sustainable development).

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09University Governance Representation Selection Procedure

This procedure operationalizes the governance representation policy by detailing fair nomination, selection, and rotation mechanisms for academic and administrative councils. It ensures inclusive leadership and fulfills SDG 16.7 (responsive, participatory institutions).

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10Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Compliance Review Procedure

This procedure sets auditing and monitoring mechanisms for detecting and preventing corruption or organized crime influence within the institution. It demonstrates AAU’s compliance with SDG 16.5 (reduce corruption) and SDG 16.6 (accountable institutions).

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11Academic Freedom Compliance Review Procedure

This procedure provides mechanisms for monitoring and safeguarding academic freedom within research, teaching, and publication. It enhances transparency and compliance with SDG 16.10 (access to information) and SDG 4.7.

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12Local Stakeholders Identification and Engagement Procedure

AAU’s Stakeholder Engagement Procedure outlines how community partners are identified, consulted, and integrated into institutional projects. This ensures participatory governance and alignment with SDG 16.7 and SDG 17.17.

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13Government Expert Consultation Procedure

AAU implements a Government Consultation Procedure to formalize expert collaboration and policy input between the University and governmental entities. It contributes to SDG 16.6 (effective institutions) and SDG 17.14 (policy coherence).

Impact Evaluation & Development Plan

Performance Evaluation

1. Institutional Transparency and Governance AAU demonstrates strong institutional integrity and accountability through:

public reporting of governance frameworks, sustainability data, and institutional policies; the University Governance Representation Policy, Transparency and Anti-Corruption Policy, and Local Stakeholder Engagement Policy; clear mechanisms for public access via the AAU Sustainability Portal.

These practices reinforce AAU’s commitment to openness and good governance.

2. Ethics, Anti-Corruption, and Compliance Mechanisms

AAU enforces clear standards of ethics, anti-corruption, and academic integrity through:

the Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Compliance Review Procedure, the Academic Freedom Compliance Review Procedure, the Government Expert Consultation Procedure.

These mechanisms ensure accountability, ethical conduct, and adherence to both institutional and national integrity standards.

3. Human Rights, Justice, and Civic Education

AAU integrates ethics, justice, governance, and human-rights education across its curricula and community programmes through:

workshops, debates, and structured civic education sessions, public lectures on justice, social responsibility, and rule of law, dedicated academic modules enhancing civic literacy and responsible citizenship.

4. Youth and Political Participation

AAU actively promotes youth engagement in national dialogue through programmes such as:

participation in the Parliamentary Committee on Youth, Sports, and Culture to discuss political empowerment of students, student-led civic initiatives coordinated by the Deanship of Student Affairs.

These activities strengthen SDG 16.7 (inclusive decision-making) and national civic participation.

5. Public Accessibility of Policies and Reports

All governance policies, compliance procedures, and SDG-related reports undergo:

verification by SIRC, review by the University Presidency, publication through the AAU Sustainability Portal, Annual Sustainability Report, and Executive Sustainability Report.

This ensures external verifiability and full transparency.

Development Actions

Action 1: Governance Transparency Dashboard (2025–2028)

Develop an online dashboard presenting AAU’s governance structure, policies, representation mechanisms, and compliance data. Target: Launch by 2026 with quarterly updates.

Action 2: Youth and Civic Engagement Program (2025–2028)

Support student involvement in civic dialogue, public policy, and national debate through structured engagement events. Target: 500 participants annually.

Action 3: Anti-Corruption and Ethics Awareness Campaign (2025–2028)

Conduct ongoing training for staff and students on ethical governance, transparency, and preventing corruption. Target: Two training sessions per semester; results publicly shared.

Action 4: SDG 16 Research Cluster (2025–2028)

Establish a research unit on peacebuilding, justice, governance policy, and civic responsibility. Target: 10 peer-reviewed publications annually; open-access outputs.

Action 5: Annual Institutional Integrity Report (2025–2028)

Publish an annual report documenting anti-corruption measures, governance performance, and ethics compliance. Target: First edition published in 2025; annual release onward.

Benchmarking & Best Practice

AAU benchmarks its SDG 16 performance against international leaders including:

University College London (UK) University of Melbourne (Australia) American University of Beirut (Lebanon) University of Cape Town (South Africa)

These institutions are recognised for transparent ethics reporting, civic engagement integration, and strong governance systems.

Adopted Global Best Practices:

open publication of governance, ethics, and transparency measures; embedding civic engagement and peace education into academic and extracurricular programmes; maintaining clear access to policies and feedback channels from students and stakeholders; linking governance performance with institutional research and community outreach.

Localization to Jordan’s National Context AAU aligns SDG 16 practices with:

Jordan’s National Integrity and Anti-Corruption Strategy (2020–2025), National Youth Empowerment Programme, Ministry of Higher Education governance and ethical-conduct standards.

This ensures that global best practices are implemented within national governance, legal, and civic frameworks.

Future Goal (by 2028)

Establish the AAU Center for Peace, Governance, and Civic Responsibility, serving as a national and regional hub for:

governance research, civic-engagement initiatives, dialogue on justice, ethics, and public policy, SDG 16 capacity-building programmes.

Institutional Integration Summary

At Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU), SDG 16 governance is coordinated through a transparent institutional framework led by the Sustainability & International Ranking Center (SIRC) in close collaboration with:

the Legal Affairs Department,
Deanship of Student Affairs,
governance committees,
academic and administrative units.

SIRC consolidates SDG 16 indicators, including governance integrity, youth engagement, academic freedom, stakeholder involvement, anti-corruption measures, and compliance data. These indicators are:

verified for accuracy,
reviewed by the University Presidency,
publicly released through the AAU Sustainability Portal, Annual Reports, and Executive Summaries.

This system ensures that AAU’s contributions to peace, justice, and strong institutions are measurable, verifiable, transparent, and publicly accessible, aligning with UN SDG 16 targets (16.3–16.10) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Through strong governance practices, civic education, community engagement, and ethical leadership, AAU demonstrates a clear institutional commitment to cultivating peaceful, inclusive, and accountable societies at the university, national, and regional levels.