Jordan Focused on Syrian Refugees Amid Wars in the Region
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Sulaiman
- . December 13, 2023
- . Update: December 14, 2023 1:39 pm
Despite the economic crises gripping the world and ongoing wars in the region, Jordan is focused on hosting Syrian refugees and meeting their needs. The Jordan Response Plan (JRP) for the Syria Crisis Phase Two (2024-2026) is full of funding challenges, but the kingdom is adamant on doing what’s needed.
Muna Mutaman, a member of the administrative board at the Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI), said the funding acquired for the JRP in 2022 covered only 33.4 percent – $760.3 million. She said the Jordanian government stated that the financing requirements for the second phase of the JRP (2024-2026) will reflect the needs of Syrian refugees.
According to the UNHCR, refugee returns to Syria remain low. In the first eight months of 2023, about 24,400 returns were verified by the United Nations refugee agency.
Syrian Refugees in Jordan
The Syria crisis is running in its 13th year. It remains the largest displacement crisis in the world. Jordan hosts the second largest number of refugees per capita worldwide, including 660,000 Syrians. Majority of the Syrian refugees live outside of camps in urban centers and below the poverty line. A report states that these refugees need sustainable solutions as they have limited prospects of returning to Syria.
Jordan has been trying to better their living conditions, access to social services, health care and economic opportunities to help them become self-reliant. Experts agree that resettlement and complementary pathways are the most viable durable solution for Syrian refugees. Jordan and the EU have mobilized humanitarian and macro-financial assistance.
The EU helped out with €12.5 million in humanitarian assistance in 2023 to support health care, water and sanitation, education and protection assistance. There are EU-funded programmes to ensure quality schooling for vulnerable children.
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Future of Syrian Refugees
With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad back in the Arab League, there are high hopes that the plight of Syrian refugees is drawing to an end. Syrian government brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in 2011 during the Arab Spring movement consumed the country and sent it spiraling into a decade-long civil unrest.
The conflict saw Syria being isolated, but in May 2023 the Arab League readmitted Assad to help the country turn around for good. So far, no good has come out of it. In September, the Arab League reportedly suspended meetings with the Syrian because of failed negotiations for the return of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon and illegal trade of amphetamine Captagon.
