FM, UN official review solutions for refugee crisis

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock on Sunday discussed cooperation between the Kingdom and the UN in addressing the repercussions of Jordan's Syrian refugee influx and the latest regional developments.

Safadi highlighted the importance of partnership between Jordan and the UN and its affiliated organisations in dealing with the refugee crisis, guaranteeing the sustainability of international support to meet refugees' demands and assist host countries, according to a ministry statement.

Hosting a large number of refugees is putting increasing pressure on the Kingdom, the minister said, stressing that the responsibility of addressing this challenge is a "global duty that the entire international community should bear".

The only solution to the refugee crisis is the voluntary return of refugees to their homelands, and to achieve this, the international community should work towards creating the circumstances necessary for their return by reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis and restoring the country's security and stability, he said.  

Safadi noted that, nine years after the start of the war in Syria, refugees' needs have changed from relief assistance to development programmes, highlighting the importance of providing effective programmes to empower host communities.

For his part, Lowcock praised Jordan's distinguished humanitarian role in shouldering the repercussions of the refugee influx in the Kingdom, commending its cooperation with the UN and its organisations and stressing the UN's support for the Kingdom's efforts in securing decent living conditions for refugees.