Japan announces new $15.6 million assistance package for Kingdom

AMMAN — The Government of Japan has decided to provide a new assistance package amounting to approximately $15.6 million in order to assist Jordan in facing regional challenges and receiving large influxes of refugees, according to a Japanese embassy statement.

Under the new assistance package, which comes from Japan’s supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2019, grants will be made available for the activities of international organisations such as the UNDP, UNICEF, the IOM, UNRWA and the WFP, among others.

The grants aim to help organisations implement projects which offer humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees and host communities, as well as contribute to improving the economic situation in the Kingdom, according to the statement. 

As a member of the international community, "Japan will continue to provide its firm support to Jordan, which is the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East region", the statement said.

In December 2019, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Wissam Rabadi met with Japanese Foreign Minister Keisuke Suzuki.

During the meeting, Rabadi expressed gratitude for Japan’s continuous support for the Kingdom and its understanding of the economic and social challenges facing Jordan as a result of crises in the region, including the Syrian refugee crisis.

According to a Planning Ministry statement at the time, Rabadi reviewed the ongoing challenges of the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan. He stressed the importance of sustaining Japanese support to enable Jordan to continue its services to host communities and Syrian refugees. 

For his part, Suzuki pointed to the Jordanian-Japanese partnership based on the strong relations between the two countries leaderships. In addition, he highlighted Jordan's pivotal role in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.

During the meeting, he affirmed Japan's keenness to continue providing Jordan with support to maintain its economic stability and security in the face of difficult circumstances.