UNHCR in Jordan faces major funding shortfall for 2023, affecting refugee assistance

AMMAN — The Jordan funding update issued by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, shows that it has so far only acquired 41 per cent of its funding requirements for 2023. 

As of October 31, UNHCR received $158.7 million of the required $390.1 million, which leaves a 59 per cent funding gap of $231.3 million, according to its report. 

The UNHCR Jordan operational update for September 2023 stated that there are currently 730,658 refugees registered with the agency, predominantly from Syria. 

It also revealed that 81.4 per cent of these refugees live outside of camps in host communities, and 46 per cent of them are children under the age of 18 years. 

The operational update report further stated that in September 2023, UNHCR distributed cash assistance for to over 32,000 refugee households in host communities with approximately 109,000 individuals. This included over 3,000 non-Syrians households.

The agency also provided cash assistance to 185 refugee families with urgent needs, such as those facing detention or eviction, as well as to 300 urban refugees who could not cover their medical bills.

Director of the Phenix Centre for Economics and Informatics Studies (PCEIS) Ahmad Awad noted that the UNHCR has been dealing with persistent funding shortfalls over the past few years, hindering its ability to properly meet the needs of refugees. 

“These numbers clearly indicate that the international community has abandoned its responsibilities towards refugees,” Awad told The Jordan Times. 

“As a civil society organisation that works directly with refugees, we’re seeing a clear impact of this funding shortfall on their ability to enjoy the minimum requirements of a decent living,” he added. 

Awad also pointed out that the conflict in Ukraine has impacted the availability of humanitarian funding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

He noted that the “Israeli aggression on Gaza” is likely to increase the burden on humanitarian organisations such as UNHCR, exacerbating their funding gaps. 

“The international community must step up and make good on its commitments to refugees in Jordan, to ensure that they are able to enjoy decent living standards until a political solution enables their safe return to their homeland,” said Awad. 

Head of the local NGO, Workers’ House Hamada Abu Nijmeh also views that the international community is not meeting its responsibilities towards refugees in Jordan, which is placing additional pressures on its resources. 

Jordan hosts the second most refugees per capita worldwide, according to UNHCR. 

Abu Nijmeh pointed out that the Kingdom has taken “unprecedented” measures to facilitate Syrian refugees’ access to the labour market in order to enable them to improve their living situation. This includes exempting them from fees to obtain permits and easing related procedures. 

The Ministry of Labour in Jordan shared information about more than 86,000 Syrians whose work permits had expired, and requested UNHCR to encourage them to renew their permits, according to the operational update report. 

“While both UNHCR and the government continue to advocate for refugees to acquire work permits, the numbers are low as refugees face a dire economic situation which entails the need to make difficult decisions and prioritisations,” it stated. 

The Jordan: Livelihoods dashboard issued by UNHCR last September showed that a total of 403,358 work permits have been issued for Syrian refugees since 2016, of which 91 per cent are for male individuals. Moreover, 15,940 flexible work permits were issued in the third quarter of 2023. 

UNHCR’s report on the socio-economic situation of refugees in Jordan during the second quarter (Q2) of 2023 stated that nine out of 10 refugees in Jordan are in debt. 

During the reporting period, the average debt per household stood at JD1,261 among refugees in host communities and at approximately JD760 among refugees in camps.