Amman - The Government of Japan, the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) held a ceremony to mark the completion of accommodation facilities for border guards at the north-eastern borders with Syria. 

One project was closed while a new project launched with the aim of mainstreaming COVID-19 Response into Humanitarian Border Management. Both projects are generously funded by the Government of Japan with the implementation resting with IOM. 

With the purpose of “Enhancing the Capacity of Jordanian Border Forces in Humanitarian Border Management (HBM)”, IOM finalized the construction works of three accommodation buildings at the north-eastern borders equipped with solar systems and generators. The project supported the upgrading of the network and technology solutions at JAF, capacity building sessions on Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) measures for the border guards, as well as provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to JAF. 

The new project represents the continued trend of the Government of Japan providing support to JAF. It will include the construction of an accommodation facility for female border guards at the Border Security Directorate in Zarqa, as well as capacity building activities on public health preparedness and responses to cross border communicable diseases. 

“Since 2014, the Embassy of Japan, JAF and IOM have been cooperating through various types of projects but mostly focusing on Humanitarian Border Management. Despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are thankful that one project has been completed with success and another just started. We remain grateful for the extraordinary cooperation and partnership with the JAF and Japanese Embassy in Jordan,” said Tajma Kurt, Chief of Mission of IOM Jordan. 

“The Governments of Japan and Jordan have an interest in raising the level of political, social, economic and defense relations to meet shared expectations, which are based on mutual interests and values as well as common threats and challenges. Our celebration today is a true reflection of the strong and friendly relations between our two countries at all levels,” Major-General Ibrahem Al-Neimat, Chairman Assistant for Planning, Organization, and Defense Resources stated. 

His Excellency Kaoru Shimazaki, Ambassador of Japan to Jordan echoed the sentiments, saying “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Jordanian Armed Forces for their efforts on border management operations on the frontline of the Syrian border, which is essential for the regional stability especially in this difficult time of COVID-19 pandemic. We are also pleased to collaborate continuously with IOM in the projects for enhancement of the border management in Jordan, as we see the fact that Japan’s contribution of several years to the IOM projects in Jordan has reached over 9.3 million USD up to date. We expect that Japan’s assistance helps Jordan to mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 by mainstreaming the response to the pandemic into humanitarian border management.” 

For further information, please contact: Fedza Lukovac, flukovac@iom.int