International community urged to maintain support for Kingdom

AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday urged international organisations and donor countries to maintain support for the Kingdom, as it continues to deal with the humanitarian consequences of regional conflicts, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury met with representatives of donor countries to discuss support to the Jordan Response Plan (JRP) to the Syrian crisis.

The meeting was hosted by German Ambassador to Jordan Birgitta Siefker-Eberle, in collaboration with UN Resident and Humanitarian coordinator to Jordan Edward Kallon, with UN representatives, ambassadors of donor countries, presidents of international organisations and development agencies also attending.

Fakhoury and the attendees discussed the outcome of last year’s London donor conference on Syria, preparations for the Brussels follow-up conference, the international community’s commitments, as well as Jordan’s achievements and challenges.

The minister voiced Jordan’s appreciation of donor countries’ economic and social support, while noting the Kingdom’s resilience in light of the challenges generated by the Syrian refugee crisis.

He urged the international community to continue providing support to the JRP in order to assist host communities.

Coordination and cooperation between representatives of donor countries and organisations is crucial to ensure the effective application of aid, Fakhoury said, stressing the importance of investing in Jordan’s human resources, in addition to directing support to the budget to help implement development and capital projects.

The minister highlighted the need for innovative solutions, creating job opportunities, attracting investments, as well as increasing exports in order to maximise the benefits of the Jordanian-EU deal to simplify the rules of origin for Jordanian products, which would improve economic growth and Jordanians’ living standards. 

Fakhoury noted that the challenges facing the Kingdom are a result of the current circumstances in the region. The international response must honour its commitments, he said, and make aid available to the Kingdom so it can continue its reform programmes and overcome the current situation.

Challenges must be turned into opportunities, the minister added, noting that the upcoming Brussels conference is a chance to present Jordanian success stories, review achievements and identify shortcomings.

For their parts, the ambassadors expressed their appreciation for Jordan’s reform efforts despite the difficult regional circumstances, stressing their countries’ support to the priorities decided by the government.

Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Assistant Administrator of UNDP and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States Mourad Wahba also attended the meeting, as well as the ambassadors of the EU, the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, France, Australia, ambassadors of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and representative of UN organisations in Jordan.