FM, Fakhoury meet UN relief coordinator over refugee impact

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and UN Under-secretary general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien on Sunday discussed the humanitarian conditions of Syrian refugees and the impact of the refugee crisis on host communities. 

During a meeting, the two sides stressed the importance of arriving at a political solution for the crisis in Syria that guarantees the security of Syria as well as its territorial integrity, on the basis of the Geneva I Conference on Syria. 

Judeh highlighted the large burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting more than 1.6 million Syrians, despite its limited sources, stressing that the international community should shoulder its responsibility in this regard.  

On Saturday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour received O’Brien and discussed the issue of the heavy burdens shouldered by Jordan as a result of hosting Syrian refugees, stressing the importance of helping Jordan to pursue its humanitarian mission.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury also met with O’Brien on Sunday. At the meeting, the two sides discussed the Kingdom’s needs and challenges resulting from the repercussions of the crisis in Syria and other regional conflicts. 

The minister called on donors, UN organisations and international financing institutions to work out mechanisms that can assist middle-income and conflict-affected countries like Jordan, stressing the importance of continued and growing assistance to help the Kingdom meet refugees’ humanitarian needs.