‘49% of Jordan Response Plan now funded after $2m grant from India’

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on Wednesday signed a $2 million grant agreement with the Indian embassy in Jordan. 

The grant will support Jordan’s efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian refugees.

Over 1.3 million Syrians currently live in Jordan, according to official estimates. Only 655,675 Syrians are registered with the UNHCR as refugees.

“The support will be channelled according to the needs outlined in the Jordan Response Plan [JRP] after consultations with the Syrian side in the few coming weeks,” said Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury during the signing ceremony.

Praising the international community’s support for Jordan and its response plan, Fakhoury noted that 49 per cent of the needs outlined in the plan have been covered.

Indian Ambassador to Jordan Shubhdarshini Tripathi underlined her country’s commitment to supporting the Kingdom in order for it to continue its humanitarian mandate towards the refugees.

After the signing, Fakhoury told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the support comes as part of the Indian government’s “friendship” with Jordan, and is in line with the outcomes of the London donor conference that entailed providing support to the JRP in order to enable host communities to continue providing humanitarian services. 

The minister commended the bilateral cooperation programmes between Jordan and India, which he said aim at boosting the institutional and technical capabilities of human resources in various fields.