KEY FIGURES
657,048 Syrians registered with UNHCR in Jordan, accounting for 7 per cent of the national population
56,690 Iraqis registered with UNHCR in Jordan, a third of whom are under 18.
2 Jordan hosts the second highest number (87) of refugees per 1,000 inhabitants in the world
6 Jordan represents the sixth highest refugee-hosting country in the world
90 Percentage of Syrians living outside of camps and below the poverty line in Jordan
US $ 45 millio Provided so far in 2016 in cash assistance by UNHCR to Jordan’s most vulnerable refugees
FUNDING
US $ 320 million requested for the Jordan Operation in 2016
Highlights
UNHCR welcomed the decision by the Jordanian authorities in July to extend a grace period for Syrians wishing to access legal employment. Syrians will be given a further three months to obtain a free annual work permit. This coincided with an announcement by the government that over 23,000 Syrians, including refugees, now work legally in Jordan.
All refugee households at Zaatari camp in northern Jordan, home to 80,000 displaced Syrians, are now connected to the national grid thanks to the completion of 8.67-megawatt UNHCR project in July. This represents a major step forward in dignifying the lives of refugees through the provision of more reliable, efficient and safer energy.
Iris-scanning identification technology, central to the success of UNHCR’s urban cash assistance programme in Jordan, is being rolled out at Zaatari camp for the distribution of cash and the provision of essential humanitarian items. Jordan broke new ground in 2012 when it became the first country in the world to use iris technology to enable refugees living in urban areas to access cash assistance provided by UNHCR.
The provision of desperately-needed humanitarian relief to over 75,000 Syrians stranded on the Syria-Jordan border was suspended following a 21 June attack in Jordan’s north-east district. The attack left six soldiers dead and 14 others injured, leading to the closure of the northern and eastern borders. International organizations were later authorized by the Government of Jordan to proceed with a distribution of one-month rations and other supplies to the population in early August.
Operational Context
The distribution of life-saving humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of Syrians gathered was suspended on 21 June following an attack on a border post in Jordan’s north-east district that claimed the lives of six soldiers and injured 14 others.
The Jordanian authorities closed the northern and eastern borders in the immediate aftermath of the incident, leading to the withdrawal of humanitarian personnel. The delivery of water was later permitted but the quantity supplied considered insufficient given the restricted access to the area.
The incident served to compound an already desperate humanitarian situation at the berm where remote access and extreme weather were already seriously impacting the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond.
The interruption of regular food aid and emergency health care comes during the hottest period of the year, when temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Health concerns identified by humanitarian agencies prior to the incident include the widespread prevalence of hepatitis, leishmaniasis, upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and maternal natal deaths due to lack of health professionals and facilities.
Despite continuing security concerns, the Government of Jordan has expressed willingness since the attack to work with the international community to find solutions for those populations stranded at the berm.
In close cooperation with the Government, the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) were able to proceed with a delivery of aid to both locations - Hadalat and Rukban - for the first time since 21 June between 2 - 4 August. The deliveries included 650 tonnes of food, including rice, lentils and dates, hygiene kits and jerry cans using cranes to deliver supplies to the Syrian side.