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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordan looks forward to seeing a change in the international approach towards the plight of Syrian refugees, with emphasis being placed on support for development schemes in the countries hosting them, said State Minister for Media Affairs and official government spokesperson, Mohammad Momani.

Speaking at a press conference, Momani urged international donors holding a key meeting in London later this week to pledge more aid and manifest a deeper commitment towards the Syrian humanitarian crisis "according to a new approach that is translated into action".

He said Jordan pinned high hopes on the London conference, due to convene on Thursday, noting that the Kingdom saw it as a political gathering and that it will submit "advanced and sustainable" proposals in view of the ongoing escalation in the crisis and its ramifications. "The world needs to change the present pattern of (just) giving emergency aid to the Syrian refugees, but also to place the emphasis on the humanitarian dimension of the crisis so that it becomes a holistic approach that embraces realising sustainable development in countries hosting the refugees", he urged.

The minister told representatives of Arab and foreign media outlets that countries hosting displaced Syrians cannot bear most of the burden placed on them by the growing number of people fleeing the conflict in Syria. He said investing in these countries' security and stability and economically assisting them is an investment in regional and global security and stability.

Momani said Jordan, which is currently home to 1,265,000 Syrian refugees, about 20 per cent of the country's population, looked forward to more aid, grants and other facilities, including simplified commercial rules of origin with Europe to ensure the free access of Jordanian exports to European markets.


These privileges, he added, would contribute to strengthening the national economy and raising its capacity to launch more businesses that will benefit Jordanians and Syrian refugees in the country alike.

Momani warned that the expansion of the refugee problem throughout the world would place political and socio-economic pressures unless internally displaced Syrians and refugees in host countries are assisted and their plight taken seriously.

"Jordan wants to see the world's praise for taking in refugees translated into tangible deeds on the ground, especially in the shadow of rising unemployment in the country, estimated at 13 per cent, and increasing poverty", added the minister.

He said Jordan had only received 36 per cent of aid pledged by the international community last year to help the Kingdom deal with the influx of Syrian refugees, while the national economy and the treasury bore the rest of the costs.

The figures incorporated in the Jordanian response plan to the Syrian refugees, he said, were included with the participation and agreement of the donors, but were not merely Jordanian figures.