Jordan Response Plan facing 80% shortfall for 2019 — Planning Ministry

AMMAN — The Jordan Response Plan is only 20.98 per cent funded for 2019, according to data released by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on Sunday, which showed that the deficit is around $1.89 billion.

According to the plan, which helps manage the economic pressure resulting from sheltering Syrian refugees, around $2.4 billion was requested and only around $503 million has been funded, which leaves Jordan to cover any deficit resulting from this gap.

The lack of funding adds to governmental expenses, reduces the quality of services provided to citizens, increases consumption costs, raises imports and expands the budget deficit. It also affects Jordan’s water, power and agricultural resources due to consumption growth, economist Husam Ayesh told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

Of the money funded, 6.9 per cent of that allocated for budget support, 39.6 per cent of funds required for refugees and 22.1 per cent of the funds requested for resilience have been provided under the plan, according to the ministry.

“Jordan must not remain a captive of international funds, but should invest in Syrian refugees, turning them from consumers to producers to benefit from their expertise, knowledge and abilities,” Ayesh said.

He added that the Kingdom, even as it faces challenges, should “try integrating refugees” in the economy, especially as predictions show that they are not returning to Syria in the coming few years. 

The economist said that “the time has come” to establish mutual industrial areas near the Jordan–Syria borders that would employ people of both nationalities.

According to the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the largest contributor to the plan is Germany, with a donation of more than $101 million, followed by the EU, with around $43 million, and the US, funding over $37 million.

In addition, the ministry’s report showed that $169.9 million was provided by a “source of funding unspecified by the UN”.

Statistics also showed that the health section of the plan received over $84 million in funding. Ayesh attributed this to the fact that health care prevents diseases from spreading in refugee camps, and to the “high costs” of medical care in Jordan.

Of the total funding received under the plan, over $103 million was allocated to education, $56 million to livelihoods and $49 million to local governance and municipal services, among others, according to the data.

Ayesh predicted that the gap between requested and granted funds would persist, since “the international community did not follow the plan from the beginning”. 

He added that Jordan would have to set some conditions to urge the international community to abide by the Jordan Response Plan in order to reduce its burden, support refugees and provide them with proper standards of living and social security.