JRP funding stands at 5.1% — Planning Ministry

AMMAN — Funding for the Jordan Response Plan (JRP), the national response to the Syrian refugee crisis, stands at $125 million, some 5.1 per cent of the $2.432 billion of the plan’s 2021 needs, according to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.

This percentage during the first half of this year is close to amounts secured during the same period of last year, which totalled 7 per cent, the ministry said in a statement reported by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

“It is too early to make an assessment of the volume of the funding,” the ministry said, noting that funding usually increases in December when UN organisations announce allocations for projects related to the JRP.

The ministry also attributed part of the shortfall in funding to the COVID-19 pandemic that has impacted the majority of donor countries.

The statement also highlighted the government efforts in international meetings, conferences and forums to shed light on the Syrian crisis and its impacts on the Jordanian economy and the quality of services provided to Jordanians and Syrians alike.

The government sees Syrian refugees presence in Jordan as temporary pending stability in Syria. Jordan is committed not to impose mandatory return on refugees, the statement said.

Jordan urges the international community and donors to work within three main axes: Continuing support to the refugee-host communities by providing sufficient funding for the JRP, securing sufficient grants and concessional financing to meet Jordan’s financing needs over the next three years, in addition to supporting national institutions, enhancing health and educational systems and infrastructure, and financing capital projects.

Jordan and the international community had endorsed a $6.6-billion JRP for the Syrian crisis for the years 2020-2022.