UK set to agree new long-term partnership to bolster Jordan’s economic resilience
Prime Minister Theresa May makes a long-term commitment to work with Jordan, during a visit to the Middle East.
The Prime Minister will today make a new long-term commitment to work with Jordan as it seeks to transform its economy to make it more inclusive and provide jobs and opportunities for all Jordanians.
Following on from her visit to Iraq where the Prime Minister discussed the success of the military campaign against Daesh, she will make the case in Jordan today for going beyond militarily addressing Daesh to tackling its root causes, including by creating social and economic opportunities for all.
The UK will initially provide £94.5 million to improve education, create jobs, and boost Jordan’s long-term economic resilience. We will then look to provide a significant uplift in our funding over the coming years, as Jordan implements its ambitious reform programmes, including making the private sector a particular engine of growth.
The UK’s support will:
- provide £60 million in new investment grants to create new jobs, boost productivity and increase economic resilience
- help to construct critical infrastructure, benefitting millions of people and creating thousands of jobs
- get 10,000 Jordanians into apprenticeships or vocational skills training
- improve education quality for millions of Jordanian children, building the workforce of the future
The UK will mobilise partnerships between British and Jordanian businesses, helping Jordan to kick-start its economy and creating private sector jobs. The Prime Minister will offer public and private sector expert advice, including from University of Oxford and London School of Economics economists, and establish a new UK-Jordan policy dialogue on economic reform, led by senior officials.
Providing this kind of support is firmly in the UK’s national interest, boosting the resilience of a country on the frontline of multiple regional crises and incentivising people to stay in their neighbourhood rather than make the perilous journey to Europe.
The Prime Minister will call on the rest of the international community to join us in this transformative effort.
Speaking in Amman, the Prime Minister said:
Jordan’s stability is crucial to our interests in the Middle East and we are committed to helping them create jobs for all Jordanians.
I call on other countries to join us in this transformative effort so Jordan can continue to deliver vital support for the Syria crisis and remain a beacon of hope in the Middle East.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:
Jordan is on the front line of multiple crises in the Middle East and our new 10-year partnership will deliver economic stability for Jordan, creating jobs and helping to build a more prosperous, safer world.
This will further strengthen our relationship with Jordan and every penny invested by the UK will encourage more from other donors to boost Jordan’s economic resilience, helping them deliver on their pledge to get every child into education and to create 200,000 jobs for Syrian refugees.