British ambassador tours Irbid, checks on UK-supported projects

AMMAN — British Ambassador Edward Oakden on Wednesday visited the Governorate of Irbid and met with Governor Radwan Otoum and Mayor Hussein Bani Hani, getting a first-hand look at a number of British-funded projects in the northern governorate.

The projects aim to empower local women and young people, as well as support large numbers of Syrian refugees.

Ambassador Oakden also visited Yarmouk University, meeting university President Zeidan Kafafi and hearing how students see their role in Jordan’s future, according to a British embassy statement. 

Afterwards, he visited a centre for refugees without adequate registration papers to hear of the Norwegian Refugee Council’s work to help them, before visiting a non-formal education centre that caters to adolescent girls aged 13-21 who have returned to school after missing three or more years and a clinic for vulnerable Jordanians and Syrian refugees. 

He concluded his trip to the region by visiting the Jordan University of Science and Technology, where he again had the opportunity to hear the views and aspirations of some of the students.

Following the meetings, Oakden said: “We recognise the pressure on many communities which are hosting large refugee populations, so I’m pleased to have witnessed the real, practical impact of British support to those most in need in Jordan,” according to the statement.

“The funding we’ve provided and the work we do through our partners is helping to relieve this pressure, but we recognise that the crisis is evolving and so the international response needs to develop to reflect that. That is why we’re also investing in Jordan’s long-term future,” he continued.

“Empowering Jordanian women and young people all over the Kingdom, including in Irbid, to fulfil their potential in their local communities is the best way to secure Jordan’s future,” the ambassador said.

The governor highlighted the close bilateral relationship between the two countries. He noted the impact refugees have on the local infrastructure and the community and appreciated the work done by the British embassy to assist in this area, the statement concluded.