Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Toivakka to travel to Jordan

Press release 227/2015
16 October 2015

Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka will travel to Jordan on 17–19 October. The purpose of the trip is to explore the impacts of the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts and of ISIL and to learn about the management of the refugee situation in Jordan.

Minister Toivakka will visit a local community that accommodates refugees in Amman and Za’atari refugee camp to learn about projects run by Finn Church Aid and the UN equality organisation UN Women with financing from Finland. She will also learn about the work done by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the World Food Programme WFP and the children’s organisation UNICEF.

"We are in the midst of an international crisis which is also reflected exceptionally strongly on the domestic scene. Finland is committed to supporting Jordan and organisations operating in the region, which work in difficult conditions on behalf of people’s basic needs and also on behalf of regional stability and conflict resolution,” says Minister Toivakka.

Minister Toivakka will meet Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury and regional leaders of UN organisations.

Jordan is one of the largest recipients of Syrian refugees. It is currently estimated that there are about 1.4 million Syrians in the country, of whom 630,000 are registered as refugees. Za’atari is the largest of the country’s three refugee camps; almost 80,000 Syrians live there. Overall, only about 15 per cent of all Syrian refugees live in refugee camps. Most live in rental or sublet housing, with relatives, in informal tent villages, or in abandoned or half-finished buildings.

Since 2011, Finland has granted a total of EUR 44 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian crisis, and EUR 26.6 million to support the capacity of neighbouring countries. About half of this total of EUR 70.6 million has been directed to Syria and the other half to neighbouring countries. Support for the Syrian crisis has been channelled to the region mainly through international and domestic organisations.

Inquiries:

Jussi Nummelin, Desk Officer, tel. +358 50 430 2018, [email protected]

Juha Kirstilä, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, tel. +358 40 552 8200, [email protected]