5. How do you see Jordan’s humanitarian role in dealing with refugees and its role with regard to regional issues?
We cannot stress enough the appreciation of the European Union and its Member States for Jordan’s role in hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled their homeland in search for security. The EU has for the past 10 years been one of the main supporters of Jordan’s efforts in bearing the costs of hosting and caring for refugees at the expense of its already stressed health, education, and infrastructure systems.
The fifth Brussels Conference on the future of Syria and the region took place virtually on 29-30 March, and marked a decade since the start of the conflict. Once again, the conference resulted in generous pledges by the international community reaching €5.3 billion for 2021 and beyond in support of the Syrian refugees and the refugee host countries, including Jordan. Of this amount, €3.7 billion was announced by the EU, with €1.12 billion coming from the European Commission and €2.6 billion from EU Member States. This demonstrates the EU’s unwavering commitment to help provide the refugees with a decent life until a political solution is realised in Syria, while also supporting the neighbouring countries hosting refugees provide for their basic needs, and support their livelihoods.
The EU has also been a strong supporter to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This strategic partnership is governed by the shared objectives to support the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestinian refugees and promote stability in the Middle East. The EU’s contribution to UNRWA in 2020 was €102.3 million.
Source: Jordan News Agency