Donors Meet to Garner Support for the Jordan Humanitarian Fund and Strengthen Humanitarian Assistance in Jordan and southern Syria [EN/AR]

May 10, 2018 -- The Humanitarian Coordinator for Jordan today called upon the donors to contribute to the Jordan Humanitarian Fund (JHF) so it could further provide urgent humanitarian needs to 660,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan and 700,000 people in need in southern Syria.

“The Jordan Humanitarian Fund is absolutely critical in meeting the priority needs of vulnerable Syrians and Jordanians in both Jordan and southern Syria. Our donor contributions are vital to enable us to support priority humanitarian interventions. We are deeply grateful for this support and look to expand the scope and capacity of the fund,” Anders Pedersen, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Jordan, said after the meeting.

The JHF has been a critical tool in sustaining life-saving assistance in line with the objectives of the Jordan Response Plan and the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan. The JHF has also promoted diversity and partnership by supporting a variety of humanitarian actors, including national NGOs, with the resources they need to respond to the humanitarian needs.

The Syria crisis is the world's largest protection and displacement crisis, with 13.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection inside the country. Over 5.6 million Syrians have fled the country, mainly to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.

OCHA administers the JHF, which was established in July 2014 to support humanitarian response in Jordan and southern Syria, as authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolutions. To date, more than one million Jordanians and Syrians have benefitted from the Fund.

OCHA reaches out to various donors with the aim of raising money to enable the Fund to support various humanitarian projects. In 2018, the Fund plans to implement over 40 projects by providing the affected population with health, water and sanitation, protection, shelter, and basic needs services.
In 2017, the Fund raised $11.9 million, which was spent on 27 projects in Jordan and southern Syria.

To date, the Fund has raised $40 million from Belgium, Sweden, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.

While donors to the JHF have met often since the Fund’s inception, today’s meeting was of particular importance because it broadens the Fund’s strategy and seeks to widen the Fund’s donor base to include new non-traditional donors.