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WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
Introduction
Jordan is a major migrant-receiving country. With a total area of 88 780 km2, it lies to the east of the Jordan River and is surrounded by several conflict-affected countries. As a result, it has received a continuous inflow of refugees for several decades; it has hosted the largest number of refugees in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region for many years and is one of the top refugee host countries globally (1). Over the past decade, migration trends have changed: the inflow of migrants, refugees and returnees occurred in two peaks – one in 2013 and the other in 2016 – followed by a slow, steady rhythm from 2018 (2).
According to United Nations data, the total number of international migrants in Jordan is estimated to be 3 346 703, which constitutes 33.1% of the country’s total population (3), and according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the country hosts 757 805 refugees and asylum seekers, of whom 12.5% are children under five years of age and almost 5% are over 60. By country of origin, the registered refugees and asylum seekers are 88.5% Syrian, 8.8% Iraqi and 1.7% Yemeni; almost 1% are from Somalia and Sudan, and 0.2% are from other countries (2).
Furthermore, Jordan has been hosting more than 2 million Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)– the largest number of Palestinian refugees across all UNRWA fields (4). In addition to being a host for refugees and migrants from neighbouring countries, Jordan is also facing migration of its skilled labourers to other countries: an estimated 10% of Jordan’s nationals are expatriated (5).
Jordan is not a State party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, nor is it a party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. However, in 1998 a memorandum of understanding (MOU)was drafted that set the parameters for cooperation between UNHCR and the Government of Jordan on the issue of refugees and asylum seekers. The MOU outlines the major principles of international protection, including the definition of a refugee and the principle of non-refoulement. The MOU was partially amended in 2014 (6–8)