Austria meets Jordan: New ways in the Syrian crisis!

Austria meets Jordan: New ways in the Syrian crisis!

Vienna, Österreich - Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) received his Jordan Conditional colleague Mazin Abdellah Hilal al Farrayeh on Monday. The working meeting between the two ministers underlined the importance of Jordan as an important player for stability in the region, especially in the context of the uncertain location in Syria. Topics such as the current situation in Syria and the return of Syrian nationals were the focus of the conversation. The fact that Austria has recently been deported to Syria after 15 years, a Syrian offender with connections to the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS).

Austrian authorities believe that deportations to Syria are permitted due to the changed situation after the FISSAD regime falls. This happens against the background that Jordan is one of the countries with the highest number of refugees per inhabitant. Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Jordan has recorded hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, which has led to an enormous burden in the country.

refugee situation in Jordan

The first major influx of Syrian refugees to Jordan began in March 2011. Around 90 percent of the Syrian refugees in Jordan came into the country within the first 18 months. From May 2013, the Jordanian government tightened the rules to control the refugee approach. Among other things, this regulation includes a ban on Palestinian refugees from Syria, which further complicates the situation. Officially, the borders are open to Syrian refugees, but there are high hurdles for entry, especially for returnees.

The intervention of Russia in the Syrian Civil War from September 2015 led to an increase in refugee numbers, with the Jordan Military carried out strict security checks, which significantly extends the waiting times for entry. Every day only a few dozen refugees are let into the country, which leads to humanitarian crises at the borders, where many unofficial camps with insufficient care exist.

living conditions and challenges

Many of the Syrian refugees in Jordan live in precarious conditions. According to official figures, around 636,000 Syrians lived in the UNHCR in March 2016, with the Jordan government of 1.27 million Syrian refugees going out in the country. It should be noted that a large part of the Syrian refugees, about 80 percent, lives outside the official refugee camp in urban areas. Only around 20 percent of the refugees are in official camps, such as the largest Camp Zaatari, which houses around 80,000 Syrians.

The living conditions are severely restricted. From November 2014, state -subsidized health care was only offered by aid organizations, while the majority of working Syrians work in the informal sector without formal work permits, especially in the construction industry. Here, working conditions are often bad, and many live below the national poverty limit of 50 Jordanian dinar per head and month. This difficult economic situation also leads to an increase in child labor; About 40 percent of Syrian children in Jordan do not attend school.

The Jordanian public has shown mixed reactions to the Syrian refugees. While initial sympathy was initiated, the mood has turned into concern. Another reason for the tense situation is the precarious economic situation of many Jordanians, which were among the poorest parts of the population before the refugee crisis. In order to counter the costs of refugee admission, Jordan has received increasing development aid, while the general mood against the admission of further refugees is also intensified.

In this context, the work of the UNHCR is of crucial importance. The organization continues its auxiliary activities despite the uncertainties in the region. In 2023, the UNHCR focuses on providing security and asylum, access to basic health care and education as well as the creation of solutions for the groups concerned. The support ranges from cash aids to access to health services to educational offers, and the development of innovations to maximize the effectiveness of this help has high priority for the UNHCR.

The current situation underlines the challenge not only for the refugees, but also for the receiving countries such as Jordan, which are facing enormous humanitarian and economic stress.