Yarmouk University hosts 5th int’l conference on refugees in Jordan

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Prince Hassan, former minister of social development Hala Bseiso inaugurated the fifth international conference "The Refugees in Jordan: A Future Vision” at Yarmouk University on Wednesday.

The two-day conference is organised by Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Centre; ALECSO Chair for Asylum, Displacement and Forced Migration at Yarmouk University; in partnership with the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In his speech delivered on his behalf by Bseiso, Prince Hassan said that the Refugees, Displaced Persons and Forced Migration Studies Centre was established at the university to be a hub for research and policy-making based on preserving human dignity as a main principle.

The prince pointed out that research and policies on asylum and displacement should be based on a knowledge database to identify refugees' needs and view zakat as a source of development-based financing.

He noted that the empowerment of refugees and displaced persons lies in the active role of host communities and the development of a regional centre for the exchange of knowledge, experience and evidence-based data.

Yarmouk University President Islam Massad said that the conference seeks to shed light and anticipate the future of Jordan that has endured several arrivals of refugees and migration for 100 years, noting that the Mashreq, over the past three decades, was the most affected by refugee issues and repercussions of economic crises. 

German Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Jörg Dehnert said that Jordan hosts a large number of refugees compared with the population, which poses big challenges in various fields, mainly in the labour market, especially since Jordanian society has a large proportion of youth.