German funding helps avert food assistance cuts to 111,000 refugees in Jordan — WFP

AMMAN – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a timely and generous contribution of USD 20 million from the Federal Republic of Germany, which will help avert planned cuts in food assistance for 110,000 refugees in October.

Germany’s Ambassador to Jordan, Bernhard Kampmann, announced the contribution on Wednesday at a joint press conference. Kampann reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting Jordan and the WFP in addressing the food needs of around half a million refugees in the Kingdom.

“We are very happy and proud to support the WFP and that the increase of our funding is coming just in time to avoid the impending cuts in food assistance. In times of growing need, vulnerable refugee families need continued support,” the ambassador said.

Kampmann indicated that political developments change rapidly and therefore, it is important to do what is possible and necessary to support vulnerable people.

Germany has been the biggest supporter of the WFP in Jordan, according to the ambassador.

“We are a strong supporter of the WFP worldwide and here in Jordan, where the organisation plays a key role in providing for Syrian refugees living in camps and urban areas. We are very grateful for the great work the WFP is doing in collaboration with the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the local host communities," he noted.

“We worked very hard as an embassy to provide the additional contribution at this time to avoid cutting funding from refugees,” Kampmann added.

Kampmann said that Jordan is a “key partner and country” in the region. “We are working closely with the Jordanian government, which is doing a lot to integrate those in need in the labour market,” he added.

The funds, provided by Germany's Federal Foreign Office, will enable the WFP to continue supporting vulnerable refugees from Syria and other countries living in camps and communities across the Kingdom. The additional funding will help the refugees meet their food and nutritional needs until the end of the year.

“This contribution could not have come at a better time, as the WFP had been faced with the unavoidable and very hard choice of having to implement cuts in its assistance only a few days from now,” said Representative and Country Director to the WFP in Jordan, Alberto Correia Mendes.

Mendes expressed the WFP’s gratitude for the continuous support from the people and the German government for Jordan’s refugee response, “especially at a time when refugees have been pushed deeper into poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse economic effects."

Mendes indicated that the beneficiaries were very “distressed” when they were informed of the funding cuts bound to happen in October.

“This contribution makes Germany the single largest donor for our organisation, which we highly appreciate,” Mendes said.

The WFP had already been forced to stop food assistance to 21,000 vulnerable refugees in July due to a lack of funds.

However, thanks to Germany's contribution, the WFP can now continue to meet the immediate food needs of vulnerable refugees, especially female-headed families and families with disabilities, according to a statement from the WFP.

The WFP stated that Germany contributed a total of USD86.8 million in 2021 to support the WFP's refugee response in the country. This includes the most recent top-up contribution of humanitarian funding and another contribution of USD6.4 million provided through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in support the WFP's school feeding, livelihoods and social protection programmes in 2021.