UN Women, EU begin meetings with ministries on Syrian crises trust fund

AMMAN — UN Women Jordan and the European Union on Wednesday initiated a workshop for the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (EUTF Madad) with their partners, seeking to draft new methods of cooperation aimed at achieving sustainable livelihood opportunities for vulnerable Syrian refugees and Jordanian women.

The EUTF Madad fund is a “key” instrument for delivering the EU's pledges, made at the London conference on Syria in 2016 and at the Brussels conference in April 2017. It also underpins the special EU Compacts agreed to with Jordan and Lebanon for assistance on the refugee crisis, according to a statement published on the official website of the European Commision. 

The meetings, which lasted through Thursday, brought together partners in the ministries of labour and social development, UN Women head of resilience and empowerment unit, Ana Lukatela, told The Jordan Times during a phone interview. 

“What is interesting about this partnership is that it looks at the EUTF Madad through a holistic approach.” Lukatela said, “rather than creating short terms solutions, the aim is to build resilience and empowerment for the benefitted women”.

According to the official, the main pillars of the new partnership’s focus will include: Livelihood opportunities, job placement, gender based violence prevention and protection, remedial education and civic engagement. 

“Some work has been done around these lines in Jordan before, but the Kingdom is still way below.” She said, adding the need to “renew strategies that go beyond the same old projects”.  

When asked about the outcomes of the workshop, Lukatela said the meetings focused on ways to provide partners with an understanding of the fund’s concept and a way forward. 

The programme will address women living in situations characterised by increasing domestic violence, isolation and economic insecurity, by increasing their access to financial assets and income opportunities.

Since its establishment in December 2014, EUTF Madad has supported programmes such as LEADERS, which have helped a total of 250,000 Syrian and local communities in Jordan and Lebanon become economically self reliant and contribute to the economy. 

Asmaa Al Khwaldi, a Syrian refugee who now resides in Mafraq, is one of the beneficiaries of the LEADERS programme, which enabled her to turn her economic situation around and run a successful business.

“My situation was very bad, as I was living with my parents and my child needed medical treatment, so I started a small business at my parents' house,” Khwaldi said. “It was very tough at first, because I did not have enough capital to do this, so my shop had very few items for sale.”

According to Khwaldi, she was able to expand her business through the programme and help her daughter get the medical treatment she needed. The shop’s profits also enabled her to financially aid her parents, relatives and neighbours.

"I tell women that they can work, just like men do and even more! But they have to be willing,” Khwaldi said. “Women should never back down just because of society — and I'd like to tell all my fellow women to step up and work, because surely they will succeed.”