AMMAN (Arab News) – The UNHCR has warned of “serious consequences” for refugees in Jordan if no adequate funding is added to its shrinking budget.
The UN refugee agency has issued a recent appeal calling for “immediate” assistance after other agencies announced plans to reduce health services and food help in camps in Jordan.
Jordanian government-owned Al-Mamlakah TV commented on a UNHCR report which said that the UN refugee agency had only received 32 percent of its financial needs for 2023, or “$125.7 million of its annual budget of $390.11 million.”
In light of this 68 percent deficit, Dominik Bartsch, the agency’s representative to Jordan, has warned of a “humanitarian crisis and serious consequences for refugees and host communities.”
He added: “The current lack of funding for the refugee response is undermining the great achievements made in over a decade.”
He said that there was growing concern that Jordan’s ability to include refugees in healthcare and education systems might be eroded.
“Sustained support over the years has allowed Syrian refugees to access the labor market,” Bartsch said.
“Now, there is an imminent risk that the situation is sliding back into a humanitarian crisis, with serious consequences for refugees and host communities.”
Bartsch praised Jordanian efforts in past years in giving assistance to refugees.
The country issued a record 62,000 work permits to Syrians in 2021, according to UNHCR.
This was a result of the international community committing funding and expanded trade facilitation under the Jordan Compact, an initiative to improve access to education and legal employment for Syrians.
Bartsch called for a “determined and coordinated action … to keep the success story in Jordan alive.”