Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
97
 Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS): Most recently, Jordan has received a
number of Palestinian refugees whose families originally sought refuge in Syria, and
have now been displaced by fighting there. Although PRS who were registered with
UNRWA in Syria also fall under UNRWA’s mandate in Jordan, a prohibition on entry
of Palestinians from Syria into Jordan since 2013 has made many reluctant to
reregister. Any PRS who have arrived from Syria since this time are thus most likely
entering on fraudulent documents and fear being caught and deported by Jordanian
authorities. Some PRS who entered prior to 2013 have been held in Cyber City, a
closed camp near the Syrian border. Residents are generally not permitted to leave
Cyber City except to return to Syria, although some occasionally obtain permission
to visit relatives outside the camp. 180
3.2.3. Policies with an Impact on Poverty Alleviation
The socioeconomic challenges facing refugees in Jordan have been well-documented.
Estimates by UNHCR and the World Bank at the beginning of 2016 suggest that as much as 90
percent of the Syrian refugee population in Jordan live in poverty.181 Refugees who arrive in
Jordan to seek protection often arrive with few resources. Syrian refugees in particular are
likely to have experienced internal displacement that may have disrupted their livelihoods
and drained their resources prior to arriving in Jordan, making them even more vulnerable.182
As is the case in most refugee situations, refugees in Jordan may thus experience difficulty
securing housing, maintaining sufficient income to provide for basic needs, and benefiting
from key services like education and health care.
Jordanian law does not grant any rights to social or economic assistance or national services
for refugees who have sought safety in Jordan, with the exception of those who hold Jordanian
citizenship. The government has, however, allowed access to these services for certain groups
on an ad hoc basis, depending again on nationality and when they arrived in the country. In
practice, resource constraints on the part of service providers or financial limitations on the
part of refugees often prohibit access to many services.
Jordan’s MoU with UNHCR also commits the agency to providing assistance to refugees who
are in need of financial or social support.183 As is the case in other major refugee situations
worldwide, UNHCR and international NGOs thus often step in to fill gaps in services that are
not provided by the government or that are only granted for certain groups. UNHCR and its
implementing partners are responsible for delivering services inside the Syrian refugee
camps, in coordination with the government’s Syrian Directorate for Refugee Affairs (SRAD).
Outside of camps, UNHCR provides cash assistance and transfers to support living expenses
for refugees in need of assistance, including for Sudanese and Somali refugees.184 In 2015,
UNHCR provided cash support to over one-third of urban refugees in Jordan.185 UNRWA
180 Neil Sammonds, “‘A dog has more freedom’ – Palestinians at Cyber City camp for refugees from Syria,” Amnesty
International, updated July 29, 2013,
palestinians-at-cyber-city-camp-for-refugees-from-syria/
181 Paolo Verme et al., The Welfare of Syrian Refugees: Evidence from Jordan and Lebanon (Washington, DC: The World Bank,
2016),
182 Verme et al., The Welfare of Syrian Refugees
183 Article 11 MoU with UNHCR.
184 ARDD-Legal Aid, Putting Needs Over Nationalities
185 Cairo Amman Bank, “UNHCR, Cairo Amman Bank and IrisGuard unveil ground breaking technology to enhance delivery
of refugee assistance,” updated ,January 17, 201
UNHCR Innovation,, “Biometric Cash Assistance,” accessed June 9,
2016,