AMMAN, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Experts are calling for a surge in international aid to support Jordan's 1.3 million Syrian refugees after a key funding plan fell short of the country's needs.
The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan, unveiled last week, allocated 974 million U.S. dollars for Jordan in 2024. It registered a 10 percent increase from 2023, but still less than half the required, Jordanian political analyst Raed Omari told Xinhua on Monday.
The plan, which is a platform for humanitarian and development partners to respond to the Syrian crisis and is co-led by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Development Program, covers Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.
According to its latest announcement, the plan indicated that funding has been declining, placing an increased burden on countries to provide quality services and maintain social stability.
Omari, also a senior political editor at the Jordan Press Foundation, noted that the reduction in Western donations has led to a decline in funding from host countries for refugees.
"This decline is expected to persist, considering it poses a threat to the national economy and imposes an additional burden on the public treasury," he said while calling for increased aid and emphasizing the need to coordinate with the Arab League to find a solution.
He said Jordan also needs to coordinate with neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees, especially Lebanon and Türkiye, to urge the international community and its relief institutions to bear their humanitarian and ethical responsibilities in supporting the Syrian refugees.
Meanwhile, Amjad Jalal, an Amman-based economic analyst, said the international community has lost its "moral and humanitarian compass" in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis and providing necessary support to host countries.
He explained that the crisis has deepened Jordan's economic problems, contributing to a rise in public debt, and increased pressure on infrastructure and services.
Jalal urged the international community to fulfill its commitments while calling for more Jordanian diplomatic efforts to alert the world to the severity of the crisis.
Official figures indicate that approximately 1.3 million Syrian refugees are living in Jordan, with around 650,000 registered with the UNHCR. ■
