King Abdullah II of Jordan addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, emphasizing the critical issue of global food security and hunger.
He revealed that more than 345 million people worldwide face the daily risk of food insecurity or hunger.
In his speech, King Abdullah II pointed out that among the most vulnerable groups are the 108 million refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and forced to leave the lives they once knew.
Children make up 40% of these refugees. He stated, “Refugees are our brothers and sisters. They look to our countries to help them end the crises that drove them from their homelands. Among them are mothers and fathers, grandparents who undertook perilous journeys to save their families, young people with promising dreams, and small children deserving a chance to achieve their big dreams.”
The Jordanian monarch highlighted that refugees depend on the international community to help them cope with this challenging life.
Various UN agencies provide vital services to meet these needs.
However, he noted that in recent months, these agencies, one after another, have delivered concerning news about having to cut their assistance due to a severe shortage of international funding.
He questioned whether this is the point the world has reached and whether the international community will stand idly by, leaving refugee families with no choice but to send their children to work instead of school.
King Abdullah II stressed that refugees in Jordan constitute more than a third of the country’s population of 11 million.
Already, reduced support has thrown hundreds of thousands of refugees into a whirlwind of danger and uncertainty.
He underscored that the impact of this humanitarian aid shortfall cannot remain confined to a specific country or region, as fear and deprivation consistently lead to a significant increase in the number of refugees heading to Europe and beyond, often on perilous journeys with tragic outcomes.
The Jordanian people are committed to fulfilling their duties towards those in need and are doing everything in their power to secure a dignified life for refugees.
The King also mentioned that Syrians under 18 years old make up nearly half of the Syrian refugees hosted by Jordan, totaling around 1.4 million Syrians.
For many of them, Jordan is the only country they have ever known, as over 230,000 Syrian children have been born in Jordan since 2011.
