Jordan Seeks Additional Funds from World Bank to Deal with Refugee Crisis
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On Sunday, Jordan asked the World Bank to increase its financial support to the Middle Eastern nation that now claims that one-third of its population consists of refugees. The refugees represent an enormous drain on the nation’s resources, but without Jordan’s support, these people would be caught in the crossfire of war in neighboring nations like Syria. This represents a potential humanitarian crisis of virtually unprecedented scale in the modern era.
On Sunday, Jordan asked the World Bank to increase its financial support to the Middle Eastern nation that now claims that one-third of its population consists of refugees. The refugees represent an enormous drain on the nation’s resources, but without Jordan’s support, these people would be caught in the crossfire of war in neighboring nations like Syria. This represents a potential humanitarian crisis of virtually unprecedented scale in the modern era.
Jordan’s Prime Minister, Abdullah Ensour, requested the funds during a meeting with a delegation sent by the World Bank. During his presentation, he reported that around one in three of the 9.5 million people living in Jordan today are refugees.
That means over 3 million men, women, and children require food, medicine, and places to sleep, all costing the nation money. Of that number, almost half of the refugees came from Syria, where conflicts with extremist group ISIS has left millions displaced.
As part of his appeal, Ensour noted, “The international community sympathized with Europe for receiving hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, so how about a small country like Jordan that receives 1.3 million Syrians?” He also thanked the international financial institution for its support and “positive stances” toward Jordan during the recent London donor conference.
A major focus of Ensour’s appeal centered on the relative stability of Jordan compared with its neighbors. It noted that its economic and political stability was crucial for maintaining stability throughout the rest of the region. Jordan sees this as a mission only it can carry on, and thus, it is looking for support from the World Bank to make that possible.
Aside from ISIS, a number of other recent events have served to undermine Jordan’s economic stability. Declining oil prices, social movements, and, of course, the refugee crisis have all served to erode the nation’s economic stability.
While the other events merely impacted growth, the influx of refugees represents an actual drain on the nation’s limited resources. Moreover, border closings with Iraq and Syria (due to the ongoing conflict with ISIS) have made transporting goods more expensive and difficult to do, further impacting the Jordanian economy.
On a positive note, Sunday’s conference saw not only Jordan expressing its appreciation to the World Bank, but also the World Bank acknowledging Jordan’s commitment to these displaced people. Members of the delegation noted that Jordan had helped to relieve a huge burden from the International community by agreeing to take on these refugees.
They also noted that, given its relative importance to the crisis in Syria and all that it has done, the Kingdom might be a key contributor to the reconstruction of Syria, not just economically, but politically and socially as well. This, in turn, could lead to opportunities for significant economic development for Jordan.
