WFP to reinstall food support to Syrian refugees in Jordan

AMMAN — The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has reinstated the full value of the electronic food vouchers it uses to provide vital support to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Syrians in Jordan, starting the coming month.

The move was made possible after Germany pledged at least $65 million to Jordan out of the total pledge made during the “Supporting Syria and the Region Conference” in London earlier this year. 

“Together with the support of other donors,” the organisation said in a statement, “this will allow WFP to continue providing vital food assistance to some 530,000 Syrian refugees in the country with full value assistance from March until the end of the year”. 

Since the onset of the Syrian refugees influx to Jordan in 2012, WFP’s support through its e-card system has injected over $460 million into the local Jordanian economy and created hundreds of local jobs in the food retail sector. However, the agency has made cuts in the programme on several occasions and warned of total cancellation if donations stopped.