UNRWA Pledges Increase of Cash Assistance to Palestinian Refugees in Jordan

UNRWA Pledges Increase of Cash Assistance to Palestinian Refugees in Jordan

Refugees at the makeshift camp between Syria and Jordan on 1 March 2017 [KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images]

UNRWA said that in 2020 it will continue to provide basic services to Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) in Jordan, vowing to increase cash aid in order to help them address their most urgent needs and support the enjoyment of their human rights.

Under its 2020 Syria Crisis Emergency Appeal, the Agency said it will continue to provide all targeted PRS with cash assistance, address protection challenges and enhance resilience.

Since the second half of 2018, UNRWA introduced a targeted approach with a focus on the most vulnerable PRS, who continued to receive US$ 40 per person per month, while the rest of the caseload received a reduced allowance of US$ 10 per person per month.

However, recognizing the difficult socio-economic conditions and widespread poverty faced by all PRS, in 2020 the Agency said it will increase this amount from US$ 10 to US$ 25 per person per month, in order to provide more meaningful support.

The number of PRS in Jordan has remained relatively stable for a number of years, with 17,343 PRS recorded with UNRWA as of December 2019. Of these, 349 reside in King Abdullah Park (KAP), facing movement restrictions and a number of protection concerns.

Since the opening of Jabeer-Al Nassib border between Syria and Jordan, in October 2018, UNRWA has registered the return of 624 PRS individuals to Syria. As of November 2019, of those returnees, some 227 individuals were displaced again to Jordan for a range of reasons, including the unstable security situation in Syria, problems with civil documentation, lack of economic resources and livelihood opportunities, and high levels of destruction of homes and property.

A Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment conducted by WFP in 2018 indicated that the majority (67 per cent) of PRS were food-insecure or vulnerable to food insecurity. Twelve per cent of PRS female headed households were found to be food insecure compared to seven per cent of male-headed households. Food insecurity was even higher (78 per cent) in PRS households where the head of household was reported to be completely illiterate. Eighty-six per cent of surveyed PRS households were also reported to be in debt.

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