$2.4bln 2021 Jordan Response Plan to Syrian crisis launched

AMMAN — The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation has launched the Jordan Response Plan (JRP) to the Syrian crisis for the year 2021, with requirements amounting to about $2.4 billion.

The JRP remains the only source to identify the requirements needed to mitigate the impact resulting from hosting Syrian refugees, including requirements to support the budget and host communities, according to a Planning Ministry statement.

The plan was restructured to be aligned and complementary with the national plans and also to be convenient with the Sustainable Development Goals and Global Compact on Refugees, the statement said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has its severe socio and economic impact on refugees and host communities. The shift towards distance learning, pressures on health sector, and deteriorating livelihood conditions with increased unemployment rates are amongst the many challenges arising from the pandemic, the statement said.

The Government of Jordan maintains an inclusive policy to include all people in Jordan in the COVID-19 response. Henceforth, to ensure that Jordan remains capable of sustaining services for Syrian refugees, a COVID-19 response was incorporated into the 2021 JRP as a new component along with existing components, read the ministry statement.

The budget requirements for the new JRP reach a total of around $2.4 billion, $260 million of which is for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The JRP 2021 booklet included the required amounts for each component of the plan: $192 million to support host communities (H.C), $617.7 million to support the Refugees (REF), while Infrastructure and Institutional Capacity Development (I.C) require $411.6 million. The booklet further indicated that the budget support needed is $948 million.

The COVID19 component under JRP 2021 addresses both the interventions and needs required to mitigate the vulnerabilities resulting from the pandemic on Syrian refugees and host communities impacted by the Syrian crisis.

The interventions, which are in line with the results of the vulnerability assessments of the World Bank, UN agencies, and NGOs, have a total value of $ 261,815,395.

The government has identified its need for $221 million to support the education sector and $202 million to support the health sector. For shelter support $49 million is required, $388 million to support the social protection and justice component, $116 million to support the public services sector, and $218 million for provision of hygiene kits (WASH). A total of $69 million is needed to support economic empowerment livelihoods component, and $215 million to support economic empowerment and food security, according to the ministry.

Jordan has hosted to more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis in 2011. The number of those registered with the UNHCR is about 664,000 refugees out of more than 5 million Syrian refugees in Jordan and neighbouring countries.