Senior UN officials reaffirm support for Kingdom

AMMAN — Jordan on Sunday reiterated its appreciation for the UN's support especially in the areas of humanitarian assistance and relief aid as well as development programmes. 

At a meeting with delegates from the executive boards of UN agencies, who are currently in Jordan on their first joint field visit to the Middle East, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh said Jordan is committed to its role towards the region's peoples and causes in a manner that achieves peace and stability, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The visiting delegates expressed their appreciation of Jordan's efforts in dealing with regional and international issues in moderation. They reaffirmed their support for the Kingdom to fulfil its potentials in various fields. 

The delegates from the executive boards of the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, UNICEF, UN Women and WFP are visiting Jordan and the region to enhance their understanding of the ways in which United Nations organisations are assisting Jordan in its efforts to achieve sustainable development and address numerous challenges, including the Syrian refugee crisis, according to the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.

During their visit, delegates are scheduled to meet with other senior officials, in addition to representatives of the UN Country Team and the Humanitarian Country Team, the donor community, NGOs, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders, and “will hold thematic roundtable discussions on themes such as resilience, food security and gender equality”.

These UN agencies “are working together to support the government of Jordan and the international community in the humanitarian response to the Syrian refugee crisis”, the office said in a statement.

They are also supporting efforts to develop the resilience of host communities in Jordan and central delivery systems through ongoing development programmes. 

“This strategic shift towards a resilience-based approach forms the basis of the recently launched Jordan Response Plan 2015 [JRP], which aims to address both the humanitarian response to the refugee crisis and development programming through a single national framework.”

Jordan currently hosts the second largest number of Syrian refugees per capita compared to neighbouring countries, with more than 600,000 Syrians now registered by UNHCR. 

Of those, more than 85 per cent reside in host communities and approximately 70 per cent are women and children. Refugee needs have heavily impacted Jordan, with the fiscal cost of the crisis estimated to be $2.09 billion in 2015, the statement said, citing the JRP.

The UN Country Team in Jordan has developed the United Nations Assistance Framework 2015-17, which enables the UN to provide “a comprehensive response to nationally identified needs and priorities”, in support of the full achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. 

At the same time, it provides “a flexible framework” to address emerging priorities within the post-2015 global development agenda and the government’s new 10-year economic blueprint, according to the statement.