Gov’t drafting new Jordan Response Plan — Fakhoury

AMMAN — The government is preparing the Jordan Response Plan (JRP) 2017-2019 to include all sectors and build on the outcomes of the London donor conference, a minister said on Sunday. 

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury said the final draft of the new JRP should be ready within weeks, speaking at a meeting with UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien.

Government departments, civil society institutions and representatives of donor countries are helping to draft the plan, Fakhoury said, according to a ministry statement. 

The JRP 2016-2018 was designed according to in-depth analysis of the needs of refugees and host communities, in cooperation with the concerned ministries, donor countries, UN organisations and NGOs, according to Fakhoury. 

In light of the rapid changes affecting the plan, it will be flexible, Fakhoury said, explaining that projects and funding provided in 2016 will be reconsidered in the new plan, in addition to arising and unmet needs. 

During the meeting, attended by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon, the planning minister highlighted the aid provided by the international community and the UN, stressing the “unique” bilateral relations and strategic partnership. 

The continuous support from the UN to implement the JRP indicates the advanced level of the relations, Fakhoury said.

He called for an increase in aid to Jordan, in light of the burdens the Kingdom is shouldering due to the Syrian refugee crisis.  

The programme to relocate refugees from Jordan to other countries should be expanded, he added. 

The officials also discussed the ongoing preparations for the next UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants, and the Leaders’ Summit on the global refugee crisis. 

Both events will be held in New York in September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. 

Meanwhile, O’Brien commended Jordan’s pivotal role in the region and the political and economic reforms that made the Kingdom a “role model” in the region.