United States envoy to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said the current conditions in Syria are not suitable for the return of refugees.
She made her remarks Friday during a visit to the Zaatari camp, located 85 km northeast of the Jordanian capital Amman, which almost houses 80,000 Syrian refugees.
“While we know the ultimate goal is for refugees to return home, what I heard today is that people remain fearful about the conditions in Syria and are not ready to return,” she noted.
“It is indisputable that the current environment is not conducive to return. My takeaway from this visit is that the international community must be vigilant in ensuring that any refugee returns are safe, voluntary, and dignified.”
“We appreciate the Jordanians’ enormous generosity in hosting such a large Syrian refugee population, as well as refugees from other regional conflicts,” Greenfield added.
She also hailed Jordan's commitment to providing safe shelter for its neighbors for many years, saying it sets an example to the world.
During her visit, the UN envoy met with Syrian refugees living in the camp and visited community centers and services run by the UNHCR and other UN Agencies.
“After 10 years of war, we know that hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees is no easy task,” she stressed, noting that for this reason, the US remains the biggest donor to the Syrian refugee response.
She affirmed she will use her platform at the UN to encourage others to contribute to this cause.
Jordan hosts about 650,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees, while Amman estimates the number of those who have sought refuge in Jordan since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria at about 1.3 million.
Last summer, Jordan said the number of Syrians who left Jordan to return to their country since 2018 did not exceed 50,000.
