Toukan discusses humanitarian support with top UNDP, UNHCR officials

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan on Sunday met with Director of the Crisis Bureau of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Asako Okai and Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant High Commissioner for Operations at UNHCR Raouf Mazou, who are visiting the Kingdom with the aim of strengthening support to Jordan to address development and humanitarian issues. 

The meeting was held with the participation of UNDP Representative Randa Abu Al Hosn, and UNHCR Representative to Jordan Dominik Bartsch.

The minister expressed her gratitude for the two parties’ continuous support to Jordan, stressing the importance of the visit in enhancing development and humanitarian support provided to the Kingdom, and finding innovative means to provide funding in these fields. 

Toukan praised the depth of the partnership with UNDP, and its role in supporting development and reform efforts, as well as UNHCR’s role in supporting refugees and host communities, especially with the decrease in crisis response funding coinciding with increasing global economic challenges.

The officials were briefed on the main challenges facing Jordan, including the continuing impact of hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees and the associated pressures on the Jordanian economy. The briefing stressed the importance of the international community’s continued support for refugees and host communities, which helps the government continue to provide basic services in the health, education, water and municipal services sectors, among others. 

The minister noted the decrease in support for the Jordan Response Plan to the crisis in Syria, which to date, has not exceeded 7.5 per cent of the plan’s requirements.

The minister referred to pledges made by donor countries during the Seventh Brussels Conference to address the impacts of the crisis in Syria, expressing her appreciation for the conference’s role in directing international attention to the crisis.

Toukan stressed the importance of continuing to provide humanitarian support and increasing development assistance, especially in key sectors such as education, health, water, among others. She also emphasised the necessity of turning pledges into effective financial commitments. 

The meeting also covered preparations for the Global Refugee Forum to be held at the end of this year, with attendees stressing the importance of coordinating with all partners to ensure the forum's success and ensuring that the international community continues to shoulder its responsibilities towards refugees. 

Further discussions addressed continued funding for the Jordan Response Plan and means to create innovative financing mechanisms that are easily accessible and affordable.

The UNDP and UNHCR representatives praised Jordan's humanitarian role in responding to the crisis in Syria, referring to the Kingdom as a "role model" in human rights.

The representatives noted that increasing global challenges require the creation of innovative financing mechanisms through additional grants, with the participation of the private sector and various development bodies, to be announced during the Global Refugee Forum.

At the end of the meeting, the minister commended the government's outstanding relations with UNDP, UNHCR and all United Nations organisations operating in the Kingdom, and appreciated the efforts of those providing support to the Kingdom's efforts to provide adequate services to Syrians and Jordanians.