WFP in need of $70.7m to cover refugee food requirements

AMMAN — The World Food Programme (WFP) in September provided food assistance to some 462,000 refugees residing in camps and host communities through cash-based transfers. Altogether, 580,000 people were allocated food assistance in Jordan.

According to the monthly report seen by Al Mamlaka TV, WFP needs $70.7 million to cover the food needs of 465,000 refugees between October 2022 and March 2023, as well as $6.4 million to provide daily school meals for 450,000 students.

WFP beneficiaries, needs in messages provided through WFP complaints channels, said that the current value of assistance is "very low" and is not sufficient for their food requirements, according to the report. It further noted that 89 per cent of refugees come from Syria, 9 per cent come from Iraq and the remaining 2 per cent are from Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and other countries.

Due to a lack of funding, WFP was forced to reduce the value of remittances by one-third for all refugees living in the community as of September 1 until further notice.

For refugee families classified as "most in need of food assistance" from outside the camps, who usually receive food assistance of JD23 per person/month, will now receive JD15 per person/month. Families classified as "average need for food assistance" from outside the camps, usually receive food assistance of JD15 per person/month, and will now receive JD10 per person/month.

All refugee families registered within the camps will continue to receive food assistance of JD23 per person/month, provided that WFP continues to receive the necessary funds.

According to the WFP strategic plan for 2020-2022, financial requirements amounted to $767 million, $629 million of which has been received.

WFP noted that 57 per cent of Jordan's fruitful olive trees were planted through its projects. The report also noted that WFP and the Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, supported 140 participants to rehabilitate four forests and add more than 2,000 cubic meters of agricultural soil under an EU-funded project.

WFP has gradually shifted to mobile financial services as a solution for the payment of cash-based remittances, which allows the 12,350 refugees who benefit from this service to enjoy a greater degree of financial inclusion.

According to the programme's country report, Jordan suffers from dwindling energy and water resources and limited arable land, as well as the social, economic and environmental burdens of hosting some 676,700 Syrian refugees and 86,300 refugees of other nationalities registered with UNHCR, as per data by the end of August, Al Mamlaka added.

The results of the WFP’s food security index conducted in the second quarter of 2022 showed that 58 per cent of refugees in host communities are food insecure, and half are subject to food insecurity, meaning that the food assistance provided by the WFP is critical for their sustenance.