House Foreign Affairs Committee meets with UNHCR representative

AMMAN — The Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday said that Jordan's public sentiment is in harmony with His Majesty King Abdullah’s vision on regional and Middle Eastern affairs. 

During a meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative to Jordan Maria Stavropoulou, Committee Chairperson MP Dina Bashir commended the refugee agency's support of refugees and host communities, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Bashir said that Jordan faces various challenges that require sustained international aid to maintain its humanitarian role of hosting Syrian refugees.

Members of the committee called for facilitating the voluntary return of Syrian refugees and creating the conditions for a stable and decent life for the displaced people, referring to ongoing coordination between Jordan and the UNHCR to enhance services for refugees. 

Stavropoulou commended Jordan’s "exceptional" role in that regard, noting that the Kingdom hosts about 650,000 refugees registered with the UNHCR, 90 per cent of them are Syrians. 

She referred to Jordan's humanitarian efforts, under His Majesty’s leadership, as a global model. 

Stavropoulou also pointed to growing challenges facing the UNHCR, particularly declining humanitarian funding, urging the international community to support Jordan to continue providing key services for refugees, mainly in the education and healthcare sectors.