Jordan seeks int’l support for refugee response plan 2016-2018

AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday stressed the need to attract sufficient funding to its National Response Plan to the Syrian crisis 2016-2018 to meet the requirements of hosting refugees.

At a meeting with Nicholas Westcott, managing director for Middle East and North Africa at the European External Action Service, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said the plan is aimed at enhancing the resilience of refugee-hosting communities.

In this context, the two sides discussed proposals to adopt a comprehensive framework of dealing with the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, according to a ministry statement. 

This framework, they agreed, aims at developing programmes that enable Jordan to bear the burdens of hosting Syrian refugees and obtain assistance in the form of grants and soft funding instruments although it is classified as a high-middle income country. 

The framework also aims at attracting job-generating investments and setting up employment projects in the affected communities in cooperation with the EU, the statement said. 

Westcott commended Jordan’s political and economic reforms, which have made the Kingdom a model to follow especially in light of regional events. 

He also expressed his understanding of the burdens that Jordan shoulders as a result of the influx of Syrian refugees, stressing that he will convey the ideas brought up by Jordanian officials to EU officials in Brussels to consider ways of increasing support to Jordan.

Westcott is currently on a visit to Jordan to follow up on fields of cooperation between the EU and the Kingdom, and to enhance bilateral relations within the framework of the Euro-Jordanian Association Agreement and the European Neighbourhood Policy.

During the meeting, attended by EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana, Fakhoury expressed Jordan’s keenness on developing relations with the European Union in a balanced way that serves the interests of the two partners, thanking the EU for its assistance, which helped implement a number of high priority projects and to support the budget. 

He also thanked the EU for the additional assistance pledged to meet the needs of host communities. 

Fakhoury also briefed the visiting official on the political and economic reforms that the Kingdom has embarked on.