Bahrain Royal Humanitarian Foundation and UNHCR sign an agreement to support Syrian refugees in Jordan

Bahrain Royal Humanitarian Foundation funding will support nearly 100,000 Syrian refugees through UNHCR Jordan’s cash assistance programs in urban areas and Za’atari refugee camp

8 Feb 2022

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency signed a US$ 1 million agreement with the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) of Bahrain to support Syrian refugees in Jordan.

The agreement was signed in a ceremony at the UNHCR office in Amman, Jordan and was attended by UNHCR’s Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Representative in Jordan Dominik Bartsch and Dr. Mustafa Al-Sayed, Secretary-General of RHF.

Under this agreement, the Royal Humanitarian Foundation will support nearly 100,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan by providing cash assistance to 253 refugee families living urban areas (about 1,000 refugees) over the next six months through UNHCR’s cash assistance program, to secure urgent needs such as paying their rent, bills, buying food and being able to afford medication. In addition to distributing cash assistance to about 20,000 Syrian refugee families in Jordan’s Zaatari camp, to cover cooking gas expenses over the period from January to June of this year.

Khalid Khalifa applauded the agreement, while commending the humanitarian role of the Kingdom of Bahrain and that of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation and stated: “We are grateful for the trust and the partnership with the Foundation, represented by the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, His Royal Highness Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa. This generous contribution is a timely one, we hope it would alleviate some of the challenges posed by the COVID19 pandemic and limited livelihoods, which are further exacerbating the living conditions of refugee families” he further elaborated “Cash assistance will enable refugee families secure their basic needs and determine their expenditure priorities in a dignified manner.

On his part, Dr. Mustafa Al-Sayed lauded UNHCR’s role and the agreement, while affirming RHF’s commitment to assist refugees and displaced persons through UNHCR’s operations, he stated: “It is our pleasure to support UNHCR’s humanitarian efforts by this contribution, and we hope it improves the living conditions of refugees in this time of the year, at which they face additional challenges to protect their families and children”

Jordan continues to host more than 660,000 Syrian refugees and has the world’s second-highest share of refugees compared to its population. Syrian refugees face economic and social challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded with winter, which impact access to livelihoods and their ability to cover rent, food, heating, and medicine expenses.