Queen Rania: Aid Boost Can Save Refugees From Extremists

Queen Rania of Jordan. (Photo: Bloomberg)

Davos, Swiss, 13 Rabi’ul Akhir 1437/23 January 2015 (MINA) – Highlighting the plight of refugees, Queen Rania of Jordan said traditional ways of helping refugees no longer work on their own as the world faces the worst crisis of displaced persons since World War II. She said it during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Jordan hosts 1.3 million refugees as of 2015.

“Refugees need to have independence and economic self-sufficiency,” Rania said. Arab News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“Or else they open themselves up and become vulnerable to recruitment by extremists,” she said.

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She noted that the average time spent as a refugee is now 17 years. “Jordan alone cannot deal with the problem.”

International aid pays for only 36 percent of refugee upkeep, with the Jordanian government relying on borrowing to finance the rest.

Queen Rania suggested one way of tackling economic strife of refugees if by building economic zones where refugees can seek employment and gain valuable skill sets. “We are willing to create economic zones where refugees can find employment,” she said. (T/P001/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)