1. Art and Diseño

Jordan: Syria Crisis
ECHO FACTSHEET
Facts & Figures
(as of 28 January 2015)
shortage
Number of people
of concern in
Jordan:
Over 620 000 Syrian
refugees
2 million Palestinian
refugees
Over 43 688 Iraqi
refugees
European
Commission
funding for Jordan
since the start of
the crisis:
More than
€3015million for
Syrian refugees /
and host
communities,
including €160
million in
humanitarian
assistance
Humanitarian Aid and
Civil Protection
Photo credit: Mais Salman
Key messages

The Syrian crisis continues to deteriorate, with humanitarian needs
and the number of refugees further on the rise. The European
Union commends the Government of Jordan for its sustained
and generous support to the more than 620,000 Syrian
refugees who together with more than 2 million other refugees
account for almost one third of the population of Jordan.

The EU will continue to support the Jordanian Government and
humanitarian actors on the ground in supporting vulnerable Syrian
refugees in particular those living outside of camps, as well as
Jordanian host communities.

Since the beginning of the crisis the European Commission
alone has allocated more than €315 million in assistance to
refugees and vulnerable communities in Jordan, including
more than €160 million from the humanitarian budget.

The issue of decreasing refugee protection is of increasing
concern in Syria and neighbouring countries, including Jordan. The
EU calls upon the Government of Jordan for ensuring sufficient
protection of refugees in the country in line with humanitarian
principles.
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: (+32 2) 295 44 00
Fax: (+32 2) 295 45 72
email:
[email protected]
Website:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo
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ECHO Factsheet – Jordan: Syria Crisis – 2015
Humanitarian situation and needs
Major needs and related problems
As the civil war in Syria continues unabated, Jordan must be commended for its substantial and
generous hospitality. As of January 2015, there are over 620 000 Syrian refugees in Jordan,
with children comprising over 50 per cent of this population. Most of the refugees (about 80%) are
living in host communities, while the remaining live in 3 refugee camps. The conflict in Syria and
Iraq is having an important impact on the country's socioeconomic conditions. The
country's community resources, infrastructure and social services have been seriously
overstretched and rising rents and competition for jobs have contributed to raising tensions
between refugees and host populations.
Security concerns due to the instability in the region have caused restrictions on the
borders for persons fleeing conflict and persecution in Syria. Syrian refugees living in the
country are as well facing restrictions in accessing health and education services. An increasing
number of refugees are forced to return to camps and back to Syria.
Between September and the beginning of December, asylum seekers stranded in the border
between Syria and Jordan reached some 5 000 persons and they were left to wait for weeks in
difficult conditions. At the end Jordanian authorities allowed the transfer of about 1 130 Syrians to
transit centres. Most likely, the remaining bulk of asylum seekers in the no-man's land had to
return to their place of origin or to further internally displace.
There are reports of evictions of informal tented settlements (ITSs) by the Jordanian
authorities. Three ITSs have been dismantled in early December displacing 41 families/205
individuals.
The region is in the midst of a harsh winter, which is having terrible consequences on the refugee
population, many of whom are living in inadequate shelters. The European Commission is
supporting winterization assistance, which includes cash, clothes, gas bottles, shelter
improvements and other in-kind support.
The European Union's Humanitarian Response
Funding
Since the beginning of the crisis, the European Commission has channelled some €300
million to Jordan through humanitarian, development and financial assistance. The European
Commission's Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection department (ECHO) has contributed
around more than €160 million for the provision of services such as health, food assistance,
basic household items, shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support and protection to
refugees both in camps and living in urban settings. This figure includes the recent top-up of €20
million announced by the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response,
Christos Stylianides, during his mission to Jordan on 29 January 2015. The provision of basic
services in villages and towns across the country also includes vulnerable Jordanian families.
In early 2015, a heavy winter storm affected refugees' tents in both Zaatari and Azraq
camps. ECHO, together with UN and NGO agencies, launched an emergency cash programme to
assist 41,000 vulnerable Syrian refugee children under the age of 14. Repairs of damaged shelter
units in Zaatari and Azraq camps as well as distribution of additional winter clothing and household
items were carried out. UNHCR has also provided an additional emergency cash allowance to 29
270 vulnerable Syrian refugee families living in local communities to cover essential needs such as
heating costs.
*All the latest ECHO Factsheets:
bit.ly/echo-fs
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