Jordan launches refugee response appeal at Kuwait III

AMMAN — Jordan has appealed to the world community for support in funding the Jordan Response Plan for 2015 during the Kuwait III donor conference on Tuesday, highlighting that JRP financing needs amount to $3 billion, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, who headed the delegation that took part in the meeting, said in his remarks at the conference that JRP funding estimates cover the needs for both refugees and hosting communities, pointing out Jordan carries a "huge" burden after becoming the world’s third largest refugee hosting country.

Ensour said ‘there seems to be no near solution to the Syrian crisis,’ adding that even if a solution is reached, rebuilding Syria and the return of the refugees will take too long, highlighting Jordan hosts around 1.4 Syrians whose names, numbers and date of entry to the Kingdom have been recorded. They constitute 20 per cent of the Kingdom's population, he noted.

The premier said Jordan has exhausted its resources completely, even its infrastructure and services, which has negatively affected its achievements, making the Kingdom unable to offer its citizens what it used to offer in services.

During 2014, Jordan received foreign support to help it handle the refugee crisis which stood at around $854 million, or 38 per cent of the total financial demands estimated at $2.28 billion by UN organisations and the government.

Ensour said the financial gap to fund the JRP for 2015 reached up to 94.9 per cent out of the needed total of $2.99 billion. 

Last week, the Planning and International Cooperation Ministry and the UN signed a launching agreement of the Jordan Resilience Fund as a unified channel for donor contributions against the impact of the Syrian crisis on Jordan. 

The fund, which is jointly managed by the government, the UN and donors, seeks to coordinate donations addressing the needs of Syrian refugees in Jordan as well as host communities.