Italian delegation visits Hitteen camp

AMMAN — A high-level Italian delegation visited the Hitteen refugee camp on Wednesday, according to a statement from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The delegation visited the housing units that are being renovated within the Housing Reconstruction Project for Palestinian Refugees in Hitteen Camp, some 12km east of Amman in Zarqa Governorate. 

The project is funded by the Italian Cooperation and implemented by the UNOPS and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in collaboration with the Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA), the statement said.

The housing project for the camp aims to renovate around 100 housing units, benefiting more than 500 Palestinian refugees, the statement said.  

Luca Maestripieri, AICS director, accompanied by Marta Grande, the president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Fabio Cassese, the Italian Ambassador to Jordan and Bana Kaloti, the UNOPS Regional Director for the Middle East, were received by Rafiq Kherfan, Director General of the DPA. 

The project was launched in March 2019 and will directly contribute to preserving the dignity of refugees and improving their living standards. The rehabilitation will also ensure an improvement in sanitary conditions and public health, the statement said.

The project will also provide jobs by engaging refugees in the construction works that will be carried out.  It is expected that 50 per cent of skilled and unskilled workers for the works will be made up of residents of the camp.

Hitteen camp, also known as Marka camp, dates back to 1968, and hosts around 53,000 Palestinian refugees.

 “This project is a virtuous example of the commitment of the Italian Cooperation towards the wellbeing of the most vulnerable” and confirmed the continuous commitment of the Italian Cooperation in Jordan, Maestripieri said in the statement. 

“We will do our best to continue mobilising resources, providing expertise, and strengthening partnerships to support Jordan in providing the best possible care for all people in need,” he said at the end of his speech. 

Grande said: “With this project, Italy continues to support the Palestinian refugee population living in Jordan, in continuity with previous interventions implemented in other Palestinian refugee camps. 

“This project is an example of the concrete benefits that a partnership between local government, international donors and international organisations can bring to the most vulnerable people.”

Kaloti said:  “UNOPS is pleased to be able to provide its infrastructure and project management expertise in implementing this project. The project aims to provide benefits in multiple sectors, including housing and livelihoods. We hope that it will serve as an example of an initiative that can deliver concrete outputs, while also engaging the beneficiary community to provide them with ownership and livelihoods.”

Kherfan said: “As a result of the interest of the Jordanian Government in improving the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, DPA has been able to communicate with AICS, which agreed on funding the rehabilitation project for the housing of poor families in Hitteen camp. We highly appreciate the generous support of the Italian Government to the Palestinian community in Jordan.”