5.6% of Jordan Response Plan funded so far — Fakhoury

AMMAN — Only 5.6 per cent of the $2.9 billion Jordan Response Plan (JRP) for the Syrian crisis is currently funded, with $43.3 million approved and $124.4 million pledged, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said Sunday.

At a meeting with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen, Fakhoury said in order for Jordan to sustain its capacity in coping with the impacts of the Syrian crisis, a major increase in the levels of funding is needed, according to a ministry statement.

“I would like to stress the importance and priority that the ministry places on the partnership with the international community, especially at this critical stage for Jordan as the challenges are building up and capacities are exhausted,” he said.

Fakhoury noted that resources are being “stretched to maximum limits”, urging donors to refer to the JRP in their deliberations in the upcoming Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, scheduled to take place in Kuwait on Tuesday.

He reiterated the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accountability measures, adding that it has recently launched the Jordan Resilience Fund to streamline the project approval process and improve the tracking of donors’ financial assistance for the JRP, as the sole document representing Jordan’s united response to the Syrian crisis.

Discussions with Ploumen also addressed means of boosting bilateral cooperation and the effect of the Syrian crisis on Jordan.

This year, Netherlands has supported the JRP 2015 with $59,254 through Save the Children International, in addition to some $4.9 million in humanitarian support last year, according to the financial tracking service of the JRP.

Fakhoury highlighted the importance of the municipal international assistance project, sponsored by the municipality of Amsterdam and the Dutch International Agency of the Federation of Municipalities and local governments, which targets the Mafraq and Zaatari refugee camps in Jordan.

The meeting was part of Ploumen’s one-day visit to Jordan which included a tour of Zaatari camp and a visit to refugees and Jordanians in a village in the north, according to a joint statement from the UNHCR and the Dutch embassy.

While in Zaatari, the minister took part in a hand-over ceremony of 16 bicycles donated by Amsterdam. The city of Amsterdam sent about 1,250 bicycles to Jordan to be distributed in refugee camps and host communities, the statement said.

Also on Sunday, Fakhoury met with Danish Trade and Development Minister Mohgens Jensen and discussed bilateral cooperation and the Syrian refugee crisis, the ministry said.

This year, Denmark has provided $230,961 in support through the JRP 2015, on top of humanitarian aid worth $2.2 million extended to Jordan in 2014, according to the financial tracking service.

Jordan hosts over 646,700 Syrian refugees, who together with the pre-existing Syrian population in Jordan number over 1.4 million and account for approximately 20 per cent of Jordan’s total population.