SYRIA – Bonino visits refugee camp in Jordan

With the European Commission for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid, Kristalina Georgieva, Foreign Minister Emma Bonino is visiting the Al Zaatari camp in north Jordan. The camp accommodates about 150,000 people who have fled the fighting in Syria. The aim of the visit is to see at first hand the conditions of the Syrian refugees in Jordan and assess the results of the massive Italian and European Union humanitarian efforts in the country.

Italy working on new refugee camps

Italy is working with the Jordanian Government to build a new camp, announced Minister Bonino. “Compared with many other camps I’ve seen, Al Zaatri has good facilities. But in terms of size it’s the equivalent of a city, and some services – security, for example – are problematic. The camp is getting organised from an administrative and registration point of view, and is working on schools and hospitals”. Italian aid has made a significant contribution to this effort. However, as the Minister continued, “the situation is not simple and could get worse if the flow of refugees increased – flows that it wouldn’t be able to support”. For this reason, work has begun on a new camp in Azraq to receive new refugees.

Appeal to Italians: let’s help the refugees

The minister launched a appeal to the Italian people for donations to help Syrians, especially women and children, who are living in extremely difficult conditions. “We are all aware of the situation in Italy”, commented Bonino, “but we need to make a joint effort. I believe that in times of crisis people become more inward-looking, but I believe too that the generosity and understanding of the Italian people can be awakened. And when Italians are informed of emergency situations their response has always been extraordinary”. The Minister’s goal is to organise a fund-raising campaign with the help of the press and the UNICEF Committee.

Over 2 million euros from Italian Development Cooperation

Minister Bonino and Commissioner Georgieva are also visiting the Italian-Jordanian field hospital, the UNICEF school, the women’s centre run by the United Nations and the World Food Programme’s food distribution centre. After Lebanon, Jordan has the second highest number of refugees, at nearly half a million. Italian Development Cooperation has already allocated over 2 million euros to Jordan and the field hospital we provided can treat up to 100 people a day. During her visit, Minister Bonino will hand over some of the medical kits sent recently by Italian Development Cooperation to meet the camp’s needs.

خبر للخارجية الإيطالية حول زيارة الوزيرة إيما بونينو ومفوضة المساعدات الإنسانية الأوروبية كريستالينا جورجيفا مخيم الزعتري للاجئين السوريين في الأردن.