‘Jordan received only 38% of aid required for refugee response’

AMMAN — Jordan has received no more than 38 per cent of the UN-estimated assistance it requires to cover its needs resulting from hosting Syrian refugees, Interior Minister Salameh Hammad said Monday. 

During a meeting with Christine Kamerman, president of the Jordanian-French Parliamentary Friendship Committee at the French senate, Hammad highlighted the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Jordan and the region as a whole, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The discussions, also attended by French Ambassador David Bertolotti, covered counter-terrorism efforts and ways to boost cooperation in police and security. 

The minister highlighted the services the Kingdom provides to 1.4 million Syrians in Jordan, including humanitarian assistance, health, education, water and electricity. 

Hammad highlighted high competition between Jordanians and Syrians over jobs, and the large pressure that refugees have placed on the country’s infrastructure and key services as a result of their sheer volume. 

He called on the international community and donor organisations to shoulder their responsibility towards refugee-host nations through the establishment of income-generating projects that can reduce the burdens borne by local communities.  

Kamerman described the current events in the region and in Syria as “disturbing” for all countries, especially Jordan, as it is hosting large numbers of refugees. 

She stressed her country’s support for the Kingdom’s efforts to mitigate the burdens resulting from hosting the refugees. 

Also on Monday, Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir met with the visiting delegation, who updated him on the preparations for the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (CoP21), also known as the “2015 Paris Climate Change Conference”, to be held in Paris at the end of December. 

Jordan Valley Authority Secretary General Saad Abu Hammour also met with the delegation to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fields of water harvesting and development projects.

He stressed that the meeting is part of the government’s efforts to clarify water conditions faced by the nation and the burden the Syrian refugee influx has placed on the sector.