Jordan Daily – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of Germany have jointly announced a crucial development in ensuring the continuity of food assistance for vulnerable refugees in Jordan.
Germany’s contribution of EUR 10 million (US$10.8 million), as stated in a press release , obtained by Jordan Daily , has come at a critical juncture, preventing the imminent suspension of food assistance for 410,000 refugees from Syria and other countries residing across Jordan in the approaching month of October. With this additional funding, Germany’s contributions to WFP’s humanitarian response in Jordan for 2023 alone now total EUR 50 million (US$54 million).
Dr. Florian Reindel, the German Chargé d’Affaires, expressed the country’s commitment, stating, “As the second-biggest bilateral donor to the Syria response, Germany remains committed to supporting refugees and host countries. We are glad that our contribution will help to avoid that vulnerable refugee families in Jordan are cut off from much-needed food assistance. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Jordanian government and our humanitarian partners, such as WFP, in addressing the needs of refugees in Jordan.”
WFP Representative and Country Director in Jordan, Alberto Correia Mendes, expressed gratitude for Germany’s vital contribution, saying, “We are deeply grateful for this vital contribution from Germany, which has arrived at a critical moment when WFP was facing the unavoidable scenario of suspending food assistance. We count on our donor support now more than ever.”
Despite this valuable financial support, WFP finds itself in urgent need of an additional US$10 million to prevent assistance suspensions for refugees in November. This funding is critical to ensuring the continuation of food assistance at the current reduced levels until the end of the year.
Thanks to Germany and other donors, WFP has transferred US$108 million to more than 465,000 refugees through monthly cash assistance between January and September 2023, allowing refugees to cover their essential food needs and daily expenses. Germany holds the distinction of being the second-largest donor to WFP globally and one of WFP’s top donors in Jordan, according to the statement.
