UN Aid Cuts to Syrian Refugees in Jordan May Aim To Force Their Return

The UN World Food Program has cut funding for Syrian refugees in Jordan, exacerbating the refugees’ economic and social vulnerability and possibly encouraging them to migrate illegally to Europe

Ahmed Ali Al-Shalabi, 37, is a Syrian refugee in Jordan. Previously a shop owner in Syria, he now works maintenance and electrician jobs which provide very a limited income. His mother, who lives with him along with his wife and five children, suffers from chronic illness and needs costly medical care each month.

Al-Shalabi struggles to pay for rent, food, transportation, and school for his children, and the pressure to keep up leads him to accumulate loans and adds to his psychological strain. He is just one of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan who will be directly affected by the UN World Food Program (WFP)’s decision to cut its aid funding starting August 1, worsening already-harsh conditions.

The current lack of funding for the refugee response is undermining the great achievements made in over a decade

The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the WFP reduced the value of its monthly food assistance for refugees in Jordan’s refugee camps from 23 Jordanian dinars ($32) to 15 dinars ($21), which comes after several other reductions of assistance in recent months.

“The current lack of funding for the refugee response is undermining the great achievements made in over a decade,” warned Dominik Bartsch, UNHCR representative in Jordan.

The WFP claims that the cut is due to what it called an “unprecedented funding crisis,” but some refugees believe that this is part of an international effort to force them to return to their home country, although Syria lacks the basic conditions and the needed security to reabsorb them.

Hasan Al-Bakfany, director of the Jordan office of ِthe Association of Syria Refugees and researcher of refugee affairs, confirmed this belief. He told The Media Line that all the facts indicate intentions to force the Syrian refugees back to their country.

He stressed that despite the statements of the Jordanian government against the decision, there has been some cooperation in this direction.

“There is certainly a prior agreement [with Jordan] and a study of the general situation. I do not think that this decision is one of the UNHCR alone, but rather a joint decision to pressure the refugees to return,” he said, adding that this decision was accompanied by another resolution made by the Jordanian government combating illegal labor, which specifically targets Syrian refugees.

“We can understand the decision to stop subsidies, but what is the justification for the restrictions imposed on the work of refugees? Most of them work illegally, [meaning] they do not have work permits, due to the high cost required to obtain a work permit,” he pointed out.

Jordan is among the countries with the highest densities of refugees in the world, along with Lebanon and Turkey. The UN estimates around 660,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, but Amman claims there are even more, up to even 1.3 million. In the last few months, the world has seen various efforts to send Syrian refugees back to their countries of origin, especially in Lebanon following its grave economic crisis.

“I consider any decision regarding refugees at this time as aimed at the forced return of refugees to Syria,” Al-Bakfany continued, noting that officials of the UNHCR and Jordanian officials have recently held recurring meetings with the Syrian government.

“There is an agreement between them to return the refugees in any form and whatever the tools and means,” he claimed.

The UNHCR’s position and operational stance on the return of Syrian refugees remains unchanged, Roland Schönbauer, head of external relations at the UNHCR Amman office, told The Media Line.

“Tangible changes are needed inside Syria to enable voluntary return in safety and dignity. In the meantime, it is imperative that the donor community expands support to host countries, host communities, and refugees, and that host countries maintain protection space, including registration and documentation, access to legal work, and key services,” he said. “Conditions are not in place for large-scale voluntary returns in safety and dignity.”

Dr. Abdallah Abu-Zaid, a security and justice expert in Jordan, explained that the budgets of the United Nations agencies depend on funding provided by donor countries, which has decreased of late. This may be one reason the WFH is cutting its aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan.

“Global violence and conflicts are increasing, and humanitarian crises have unfortunately become [common] in various parts of the world. This is very burdensome for both the United Nations and donor countries,” Abu-Zaid told The Media Line.

However, slashing aid will also inevitably harm the government and people of Jordan, due to the high density of Syrian refugees in the country, he noted.

Al-Bakfany agreed, adding that refugees will be even less able to pay for electricity, water, rent, tuition fees for their children, and transportation, despite their important role making up “no less than 30% of the local market economy,” he said.

Many Syrian families, after the monthly and food aid was cut off from them, lack the most basic human rights and the most basic living rights

Suha Makhlouf, a volunteer in Jordan for the international nongovernmental organization Save the Children, said that the aid decrease will lead to many child laborers who will need to work to support their families. This situation will expose the children to the risk of psychological issues while depriving them of completing their education.

“During my field trips and home visits to families as a volunteer, I get to see the situation of Syrian families. I see many children who stopped their education at the age of 14 in order to work and help their families,” Makhlouf told The Media Line.

She also noted that less funding for refugees has a direct impact on their healthcare. Giving birth in a hospital has a minimum cost of 350 Jordanian dinars ($490), and each session of dialysis is at least 50 dinars ($71).

“It is difficult for the patient to pay these huge costs, and with this situation, many are at risk of death,” Makhlouf said.

The UN monthly aid, even if it is small, helps “with a small part of the needs of the Syrian people and relieves a little of the tension and psychological pressure that they are exposed to every day,” she added.

“Many Syrian families, after the monthly and food aid was cut off from them, lack the most basic human rights and the most basic living rights,” Makhlouf continued.

Al-Bakfany warned that these deteriorating conditions will not lead Syrian refugees to return to their country, but rather will drive many of them to attempt to immigrate to Europe illegally.

“Most of the young people seek to immigrate illegally to Europe and the West. Many families started selling their properties in Syria to save the cost of illegal travel to Europe,” he said.