EU Special Representative for Middle East Peace Process visits Marka refugee camp

AMMAN — The European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Middle East Peace Process, Sven Koopmans, on Wednesday visited several installations run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Marka Palestine refugee camp.

Koopmans was accompanied by the Ambassador of the European Union to Jordan, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, EU Political Officer Adam Janssen, Director General of the Department of Palestinian Affairs Rafiq Khirfan and Director of UNRWA Affairs in Jordan Marta Lorenzo, according to an EU statement.

Starting at the UNRWA Marka Preparatory Girls’ School, the delegation was briefed about Palestine refugees in Jordan, specifically on the vulnerabilities faced by ex-Gazans and Palestine refugees from Syria, as well as recent developments on UNRWA operations across the region. Additionally, discussions centred around how UNRWA has contributed to regional stability and the human development of the Palestine refugees over the past seven decades.

The delegation visited the Marka Camp Heath Centre, where they witnessed the UNRWA response firsthand to the COVID-19 pandemic and were briefed on how the agency’s Health Programme ensures service continuity and abides by health protective measures through investment in digitisation, the statement said.

This includes smart phone applications and telemedicine services to ensure that refugees receive quality healthcare safely, avoiding gatherings and overcrowding.

The visit also included a tour in the camp, to get a closer look at the daily life of refugees, where they were informed about the environmental health procedures taken by the agency via its sanitation labourers to improve the hygienic situation in the camp and sustain the health and safety of refugees amid the pandemic.

Koopmans stressed that “as the biggest donor to UNRWA, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Palestinian refugees in Jordan and the region, and we greatly appreciate the very important work carried out by UNRWA to provide enormous numbers of refugees with the means to sustain their life and dignity, among other things through vital education and health services”.

Lorenzo expressed her gratitude to the visit by saying: “I am honoured to meet the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Mr Sven Koopmans at Marka camp today.   The European Union has demonstrated its solidarity and support with Palestine refugees through a long-standing partnership with UNRWA over the past 50 years.”