Jordan secures third of funds under refugee response plan

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury on Saturday said that donor countries and organisations have so far covered around 34 per cent of Jordan Response Plan (JRP) to the Syrian crisis.

Fakhoury’s remarks came during a meeting on Saturday with Danish Minister of Immigration, Integration and Housing Inger Stojberg and an accompanying delegation, according to a ministry statement sent to The Jordan Times.

During the meeting, the minister said that efforts exerted by the government with international donors have succeeded so far in securing funds amounting to around 34 per cent of the 2016-2018 JRP which aims at helping the Kingdom continue receiving Syrian refugees and offering them the necessary humanitarian assistance.

The minister added that the budget of the JRP, which was prepared in coordination with the international community, stands at around $2.9 billion, covering eleven sectors including education, local governance and municipal services, energy, shelter, environment, social protection, health, transport, justice, water, sanitation, and hygiene, livelihoods and food security.

Fakhoury stressed the need for more international assistance to the refugee-burdened Kingdom, saying that any shortage in the budget of the JRP will have its negative impact on the humanitarian support to the Syrian refugees, the statement said.

For her part, the Dansih minister voiced appreciation for what Jordan has done to help Syrian refugees, saying that she understands the ensuing burdens on Jordan.  

The value of Denmark’s cash assistance to the 2015 JRP stood at around $534,204 while its support to the region, as announced in Kuwait conference, reached $35.5 million, the statement said.