AMMAN — U.S. and
Jordanian officials signed a memorandum acknowledging an additional $360
million in U.S. economic assistance today.
U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Stuart E. Jones, Minister of Planning and
International Cooperation Jaafar Abed Hassan, and United States Agency for
International Development Mission Director Beth S. Paige signed the grants at a
ceremony in Amman.
The grants will support
economic and political development, enhance health and education services, and improve
management of water and energy resources.
They will also support cross-cutting issues associated with the needs of
youth and gender equality and female empowerment.
In remarks at the
signing ceremony at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation,
Ambassador Jones underscored that the grant funds “highlight the strong
commitment of the American people to the people of Jordan to help address the
country’s ongoing development challenges.”
The grant funds will be
programmed as follows:
· $47.792 million to increase trade and investment and to
create jobs and develop the workforce;
· $26.963 million to improve management of Jordan’s scarce
available water and to improve water system infrastructure;
· $28.970 million to support King Abdullah’s vision for
political development;
· $70.219 million to improve health and education services and
to support vulnerable populations; and
· $184.000 million in
the form of a cash transfer to help the Government of Jordan address its fiscal
pressures.
The U.S. assistance program to Jordan is among
the largest in the world. Total U.S. economic
assistance to Jordan over sixty years of partnership totals approximately $7.4 billion.