Refugee influx caused ‘development crisis’ in Jordan — UN official

AMMAN — The pressure of hosting over a million Syrian refugees has created a full-blown “development crisis” in Jordan, a UN official has said. 

Edward Kallon, UN humanitarian coordinator and resident representative in the Kingdom, said this crisis threatens “past development gains” that have been made by the government of Jordan.

In a recent interview with UN Radio, the official said public services such as health, sanitation, water and education were overstretched and “at [the] breaking point” because so many Syrians rely on them. 

He added that over 80 per cent of refugees are living outside camps, often in vulnerable areas of Jordan.

The UN official reiterated his call on the international community to help Jordan shoulder the burden of hosting Syrian refugees, noting that the labour market is weak and “employment is a major concern”. 

The Kingdom needs investments that produce jobs for Jordanians as well as Syrians in line with the Jordan Compact, Kallon said, referring to the deal agreed on at the London donor conference in February. 

The World Bank board is scheduled to approve a $300 million programme to attract investors, reform the labour market and grant Syrians access to the workforce in Jordan. 

In a report posted on its website, the bank said the Programme for Results would support Jordan’s efforts to improve the investment climate, facilitate trade and promote investments, particularly in existing economic zones. 

The programme will also help Syrians contribute to Jordan’s economic growth and foster their entrepreneurship activities, the report said in June.

In March, the World Bank announced a $100 million interest-free loan to Jordan to provide job opportunities for 100,000 Jordanians and Syrians. But with the new concessional loan to be approved in September, the government will be expected to provide 200,000 job opportunities.

In a related development, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana are scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday to announce an agreement between Jordan and the EU on simplifying the rules of origin. 

A statement by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said the agreement was within the framework of the Jordan Response Plan to the Syrian crisis.

The ministry said the agreement would ensure the entry of made-in-Jordan products into the EU market, as agreed at the London donor conference, to increase the Kingdom’s capacity to cope with the refugee crisis.