Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Tuesday issued Order 4 under the Defense Law, currently in force in the Kingdom, establishing a national fund where local and foreign donations will be deposited to back up the Kingdom's fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

The prime minister told a press conference that the new fund, called "Himat Watan" (a nation's effort) will only receive large donations that exceed hundreds of thousands and even millions of dinars, pointing out that the establishment of the fund aims at institutionalizing the donation process and ensuring sound management of the received funds.

Under the order, the current two accounts for the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Health will continue to receive donations. The prime minister said today's order came to separate between these funds and accounts and the government's general revenue account "to ensure that this spending goes to the preset aspects", adding that hunderds of calls came from people asking how to contribute and donate to fight the pandemic.

Razzaz said: "These calls were received from Jordanian citizens, companies, the private sector, Jordanian expatriates in the Arab Gulf countries and the world, and from our brothers who have lived in Jordan for many years, especially our Iraqi and Syrian brothers."

"This has made it incumbent up us to translate this effort on the ground by establishing a national project and fund in which we unite all our efforts to eradicate this pandemic and its effects and guarantee the highest levels of governance, transparency and control of these expenses," the prime minister noted.

He said all donors and the amounts they donated will be declared to the public regularly.