The World Bank has given its approval for a fourth additional grant, valued at $4.7 million, to support the Municipal Services and Social Resilience Project in Jordan, according to recent reports.
This new grant aims to assist Jordanian municipalities and host communities affected by the influx of Syrian refugees. It is designed to bolster services, provide employment opportunities for Jordanians and Syrians alike, and enhance their ability to support local economic development.
According to the World Bank, the project has improved municipal services for over 2.8 million direct beneficiaries, 20% of whom are Syrian refugees and 47% women.
Moreover, the project has generated over 27,400 days of temporary employment and is expected to exceed 110,000 days by the project’s end, as per the data reviewed by ‘Al Mamlaka’.
The Bank initially approved the project in October 2013 with a grant worth $52.7 million. This was followed by a first additional financing grant of $10.8 million in December 2016, a second additional financing grant of $30 million in December 2017, and a third additional financing grant of $8.8 million in August 2020.
Jordan has hosted over 1.3 million Syrians since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, including 660,000 Syrian refugees registered with the UN Refugee Agency.
This project builds on the Emergency Services and Social Resilience Project, launched in 2014, aimed at supporting municipalities affected by the Syrian refugee influx in restoring the level and quality of municipal services to pre-crisis levels.
In addition to the project’s funding, total grant financing covered 28 Jordanian municipalities, with the cumulative financing portfolio surpassing $100 million through support from multiple donors.
Sub-goals of the project include supporting infrastructure like parks, playgrounds, public and green spaces, street pavements, solid waste management, sewage systems, flood protection, energy efficiency measures (such as solar street lighting), and providing equipment for solid waste and other services.
