Judeh presents Jordan case at refugee conference

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Nasser Judeh on Tuesday took part in a high-level meeting on refugees and migrants, which was held at the UN General Assembly on the margins of its 71st session.

The meeting focused on the international response to the mass refugee and migrant waves, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, Judeh said that Jordan is a country with limited resources and nowadays is the second biggest refugee- hosting country globally, and thus one of the countries that are concerned with the outcomes of the meeting.

The minister stressed the importance of solving the longest humanitarian issue in modern history, which is the Palestinian refugee issue, stressing that the struggle in Palestine is the core conflict in the region.

He urged UNRWA to continue its duty in narrowing the deficit in its budget to be able to resume its full services to the Palestinian refugees in Jordan in a way that protects the dignity of the beneficiaries.

Jordan has during the past six years received more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees, which now represents around 20 per cent of Jordan’s population.

In cooperation with the UN, the Kingdom has built camps with a capacity that could only accommodate 10 per cent of the refugees, while the rest are living in cities and villages.

The meagre international support to help the Kingdom carry the burden of hosting Syrians threatens to undermine the outcomes of the country’s developmental and economic process and its ability to provide services to the refugees. 

To deal with the crisis with resilience, the government has developed the Jordan Response Plan (JRP), which covers the years 2016-2018 based on a holistic evaluation implemented in partnership with the UN and the international community.

Judeh noted that the Syrian refugee crisis is not limited to Jordan or neighbouring countries, but is an international business. Despite that, the international contribution covers only 35 per cent of the total cost. 

The foreign minister joined a ministerial high-level meeting hosted by his British counterpart Boris Johnson to launch the UK’s initiative to bring Daesh to justice.

On the margins of the session, the minister met with UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krähenbühl and discussed with him cooperation between the agency and the Kingdom, in addition to the difficult financial situation the relief organisation is undergoing.

For his part, Krähenbühl expressed his gratitude to Jordan for its supportive and contributing stance towards UNRWA, and for bearing the brunt of hosting refugees for decades.

Judeh also met with the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura and discussed the latest developments of the Syrian crisis and efforts to reach a political solution, asserting the Jordanian stance, calling for a political solution that guarantees the security and unity of Syria.