Jordan INGOs urge 'equitable share of responsibility' towards Syrian refugees

Addressing the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, 61 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) working in Jordan called for stronger international solidarity and responsibility towards Syrian refugees, the Jordan Times reported Monday (October 1st).

Representatives of the Jordan INGO Forum (JIF) urged Jordan and the international community to "follow through on their commitments made in Brussels and London" and stressed the need for donors to "shoulder their responsibilities towards host countries", a JIF official said.

"Three years after the much-lauded Jordan Compact, the promise to invest in refugees to boost economic development and opportunities in Jordan has not been met," JIF representative Stef Deutekom said at the UN General Assembly.

"The hoped-for benefits for Syrians and Jordanians have not fully materialised and the scale of the needs of Syrian refugees remains staggering," he added.

After eight years in exile, Syrian families "have exhausted their savings and accumulated insurmountable levels of debt just to make ends meet", he said.

Commending the "immense generosity" Jordanians have demonstrated in hosting refugees from Syria, he said the JIF joins Jordan in asking for multi-track efforts in development support and humanitarian assistance.

"The international support, however, has to be more than just financial," he said. "A frank dialogue needs to take place between the government and its donors on the protection issues that Syrian refugees still face."

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