Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Monday at the UNHCR offices in New York to discuss the plight of Syrian and Sudanese refugees and local communities in host countries, amid dwindling global donor support at a time when increased urgent international cooperation is required.
Her Majesty and Grandi discussed the ongoing Syrian refugee issue, which has been critically underfunded in recent years, during their discussion. Despite being overshadowed by other global crises, the Queen stated that "the Syrian refugee crisis is still very much a crisis" for Jordan.
Due to dwindling international help, Jordan, which hosts over 1.3 million Syrian refugees - 12% of its population - 655,000 of whom are registered with UNHCR, is being obliged to shoulder more of the burden alone. The refugee response is woefully underfunded, with serious ramifications for refugees' lives. Reduced global support has caused the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to cut aid to over 100,000 Syrian refugees in camps and completely withdraw aid to 50,000 others living outside camps.
Her Majesty emphasised the huge consequences of this decision for Syrian refugees in Jordan, reiterating Grandi's emphasis on joint strategic action to solve the issue of global migrants.
The High Commissioner and the UNHCR team also briefed Her Majesty on the gravity of the situation in Sudan, which has resulted in the forced displacement of over 5 million Sudanese, 4 million of whom are internally displaced, with the remainder seeking refuge and asylum in neighbouring countries, according to UNHCR.
Refugees have been crossing Sudan's borders into five neighbouring countries since the crisis began in April: the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia. The High Commissioner said that 90% of those coming in Chad, where he recently visited, are women and children, emphasising the magnitude of the Sudanese refugee situation.
Grandi notified Her Majesty of the UNHCR's Sudan Emergency Regional Refugee Response Plan's insufficient financing, drawing her attention to the urgent need for more financial support. The plan, which is seeking a little more than $1 billion in funding to offer needed help and protection to over 1.8 million Sudanese estimated to arrive in the five neighbouring countries by the end of 2023, has only gotten 27% of its required money to date.
Her Majesty also addressed the issue of increased intolerance towards refugees, stating that "feelings towards refugees and migrants have become polarised and politicised, eliciting so many passions on all sides," and adding that this polarisation of attitudes can be an impediment to UNHCR's work.
Her Majesty praised UNHCR's efforts, saying, "Your team, with their equal parts compassion and professionalism, are probably the only ray of light for displaced people." They come to you in their most desperate hour, having nothing and needing everything, and your assistance is truly the difference between life and death."
"I am grateful to the Kingdom of Jordan and Her Majesty for their steadfast and extraordinary support of refugees from Syria and throughout the region over the decades," Grandi said. The hospitality is exceptional, yet it should not be taken for granted. It is vital that the international community continues to provide robust support not only to refugees, but also to Jordanian hosts who continue to bear the international community's burden for so many refugees
UNHCR New York Office Director Ruven Menikdiwela, Special Assistant to the High Commissioner Dustin Okazaki, and UNHCR New York Office Senior Policy Advisor Blanche Tax joined Her Majesty and Grandi for the meeting.
Following the briefing, Her Majesty congratulated UNHCR workers and thanked them, as well as Grandi, for their relentless efforts to safeguard and enhance the lives of refugees and displaced people around the world.
Look Details:
For the events, Her Majesty wore her dark red GABRIELA HEARST Angela wool blazer with her GABRIELA HEARST Vesta high-rise wool-blend pants. Paired with her Delvaux Brillant Mini Leather Bag and Manolo Blahnik Metallic Woven Pumps
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