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Jordan + 4 more

UNHCR Jordan Factsheet - June 2017

Attachments

1 Jordan was the largest resettlement operation globally with 19,299 resettlement departures in 2016

2 Jordan hosts the second highest number (89) of refugees per 1,000 inhabitants in the world

90 Percentage of refugees in Jordan who are of Syrian nationality, 93 percent of whom are living under the poverty line

1 in 5 Refugees registered with UNHCR in Jordan receive cash assistance to help meet essential needs like shelter and food

Population of concern

A total of 736,396 individuals

WORKING WITH PARTNERS

 UNHCR coordinates the refugee response under the leadership of the Government of Jordan and through the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), in a collaborative effort between the donor community, UN agencies, international and national NGOs, community-based organizations, refugees and host communities.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Access to Energy

 Jordan is now home to the first refugee camp in the world powered by renewable energy. Azraq’s solar plant was inaugurated in May and as well as providing clean energy to refugees it forms part of Jordan’s strategy to become a green economy by 2020. At Zaatari camp all refugee households are now connected to the national grid thanks to the completion of 8.67-megawatt UNHCR project in 2016, representing a major step forward in dignifying the lives of refugees through the provision of more reliable, efficient and safer energy.

Camp Coordination and Camp Management

 UNHCR supports the Syrian Refugee Affairs Directorate (SRAD) in the management and coordination of Zaatari and Azraq camps to ensure that assistance is provided in the most effective and efficient way possible in accordance with international humanitarian standards and protection principles.

Community Empowerment and Self-Reliance

 52,906 work permits have been issued to Syrians or renewed by the Ministry of Labor since early 2016, as a result of the Government of Jordan granting them free of charge to registered refugees - a first step towards securing livelihood opportunities for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Durable Solutions

 UNHCR Jordan is the largest resettlement operation in the world with resettlement departures almost tripling in 2016 compared to 2015 (6,325 individuals in 2015, while 19,299 departed in 2016).

Health

 UNHCR provides comprehensive primary, secondary and tertiary health care services free of charge for vulnerable Syrians and for all non-Syrians in urban areas. A comprehensive health care package for refugees in Azraq and Zaatari camps includes primary health care, reproductive health, dental, mental health and nutritional care, and secondary and tertiary out of camp referrals.

Protection

 UNHCR Jordan was the first operation to introduce iris-scanning biometrics to assist in refugee registration. 98% of registered Syrians are processed using biometric technology which enables UNHCR to process up to 5,000 refugees a day at the largest urban registration centre in the region, UNHCR’s Anmar Hmoud Registration Centre in Amman.

 UNHCR Jordan is one the largest refugee status determination operations in the world with 25,957 people recognized as refugees in 2016.

Shelter and Non-Food Items

 145,000 out of camp refugees, a fifth of the registered population, currently receive cash assistance from UNHCR using iris-scanning biometric technology at cash machines to verify their identities. This innovative approach helps achieve record low overheads with 98 per cent of the assistance donated going directly to refugees in a fraud-proof way.