On World Humanitarian Day, UN officials praise Jordan’s efforts

AMMAN — On World Humanitarian Day, the international community must unite behind the sacrifices of humanitarian workers who have risked their lives in the face of suffering, said Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani. 

Speaking at a ceremony organised by the UN to mark World Humanitarian Day in Amman on Thursday, Momani, who is also minister of state for media affairs and acting foreign minister, noted that Jordan is an ever-growing safe hub for aid workers and humanitarian agencies serving 2.8 million refugees registered with UNRWA and UNHCR. 

He highlighted the efforts of Jordanian Border Guards, UN peacekeepers and workers in Jordan’s military field hospitals abroad.

“The international community must not abandon Jordan while it shoulders this noble responsibility on behalf of humanity,” Momani added.

He warned that failing to do so would further destabilise the region and create a breeding ground for radicalism and terrorism.

The implications of the Syrian crisis on Jordan include growing needs, regression in development gains and increased public debt, the minister said.

The global World Humanitarian Day campaign, led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, commemorates the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003, when 22 people died. 

During 2015, 287 violent attacks were committed against aid workers. Some  109 aid workers lost their lives, 110 were injured and 68 were kidnapped, said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon.

“Human suffering is reported to us in numbers: 130 million in need of humanitarian assistance, 65 million displaced… [but] tapping the potential of the individual, maintaining the ability to see the person behind the numbers is what defines us as humanitarians and strengthens our resolve to serve despite the grim realities we are faced with,” he noted.

Yet, more must be done to address longer-term sustainable solutions, particularly to the crisis in Syria and other conflict-affected countries in the region, the UN official said.

He commended the “extraordinary” resilience of Jordanians in dealing with one of the “most remarkable, sustained human absorption experiences in modern history”, adding that Jordan’s efforts prevented a deeper humanitarian catastrophe.

Meanwhile, Kevin Kennedy, regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis, said the UN’s “One Humanity” initiative has united over 300 humanitarian organisations to form an integrated operation that better responds to the needs in Syria and in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey as affected countries.  

Despite the ongoing war in Syria, the initiative has been able to provide food and other needs to over 5 million people each month, Kennedy said, highlighting Jordan’s key role in facilitating cross-border shipments of relief supplies.

“The cooperation has been excellent and has been a critical contribution that has allowed us to deliver aid that has made a difference in the lives of thousands of Syrians,” he concluded.