King calls for further Jordan-UNHCR cooperation

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday called for further cooperation between the Kingdom and UNHCR, to ensure that the international community exerts more efforts vis-à-vis the issue of Syrian refugees, especially in light of the increasing burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting Syrian refugees.  

During a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who has assumed his post recently, King Abdullah stressed the importance of boosting international efforts to make sure that host countries of Syrian refugees can pursue their humanitarian mission, especially in light of the increasing gap between the numbers of refugees and the international support for them, a Royal Court statement said.

During the donors' conference that will be held in the UK at the beginning of next month, Jordan will put forward its vision on drawing up mechanisms that ensure the sustainability of assistance and services for Syrian refugees.  

King Abdullah highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees, whose number in Jordan is put at around 1.3 million. He called for intensifying support for the Jordanian government to pursue its services in this domain. 

The UN official was quoted by the statement as expressing his appreciation of Jordan's tremendous and continued efforts, since the beginning of the crisis in Syria, in hosting Syrian refugees and providing them with needed humanitarian services. He renewed UNHCR's commitment to supporting Jordan and coordinating with public and private entities to mitigate the heavy burdens. 

Grandi, a UN official who has worked in refugee and political affairs in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, began his five-year term as UN High Commissioner for Refugees on January 1, succeeding António Guterres, whose more than 10 years in office ended last week.

Also on Monday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour met with Grandi and extended his wishes of success for the international official in his new post and current mission. 

At the meeting, attended by Interior Minister Salameh Hammad and Grandi’s accompanying delegation, the premier said the Kingdom is pinning great hopes on the donor conference which London will be hosting next month to assist refugee host countries, especially Jordan, in light of its limited resources. 

Grandi pointed out that he understands the burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting large numbers of refugees.