The Government of Japan has announced that it will fund a project to improve social stabilization by enhancing economic resilience in northern Jordan. This is one of eight new projects implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic, with Japanese funding totaling US$5.2 million.
The project in Jordan aims to create jobs in the textile industry for the host communities and refugees in Irbid and Mafraq. Located on the border with Syria, the Governorates of Irbid and Mafraq host the largest numbers of refugees in Jordan, with a noticeable impact on living conditions, infrastructure, and the domestic economy. The Zaatari camp, considered the third largest refugee camp in the world, is located within the Mafraq Governorate.
According to United Nations estimates, more than 1.2 million refugees have entered the country since the outbreak of war in Syria, putting further political, economic, social and environmental pressure on the Kingdom with a population of 6.5 million people.
Hidenao Yanagi, Ambassador of Japan to Jordan stated, “I sincerely hope that the project will contribute to creating employment opportunities for both Syrians and Jordanians; thereby contributing to changing the refugee crisis into the opportunity for economic development in Jordan.”
Speaking at the kick-off event held on 28 March at UNIDO headquarters in Vienna, during which the eight projects and the funding from the Government of Japan were announced, UNIDO Director General, LI Yong, highlighted that the projects will strengthen the humanitarian-development nexus and promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development by taking a human security approach.
Ambassador Mitsuru Kitano, the Permanent Representative of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna, stated that the projects will “help individuals to live under healthy conditions, consolidate their livelihoods and, with all of this, gain optimism for their future.”
The project will involve the design and implementation of a comprehensive training programme, which will facilitate skills development in various sectors (rural agro products, textiles and garment production, as well as manufacturing services) in order to stimulate income-generating activities in the region.
Original source: UNIDO
Published on 23 April 2018
