Minister McEntee meets King of Jordan H.M. King Abdullah II

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, has continued her visit to the Middle East, holding meetings in the Royal Court with the King of Jordan, H.M. King Abdullah II, and Crown Prince Hussein, as well as a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Minister McEntee also met with UN partners and announced funding of €1.5 million to UNHCR and €1 million to UNICEF to support their work with Syrian refugees in Jordan. 

Speaking after the meetings, the Minister commented: “I had excellent discussions today in Amman with His Majesty King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Safadi. Our relationship has prospered in recent years and I look forward to further deepening ties with Jordan, which has been a key partner promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. In particular, there is a strong desire to expand business and trade links between Ireland and Jordan, and to exchange on best practices for attracting innovation and investment. We also discussed regional issues, including the deeply concerning situation in Iran.” 

Minister McEntee visited UNRWA’s Marka Refugee Camp which has a population of over 62,000 Palestine refugees, the majority of whom have Gazan origins.

Jordan hosts one of the largest refugee populations per capita globally, which includes almost 2.4 million Palestine refugees as well as over 440,000 refugees registered with the UNCHR, of which more than 90% are from Syria.

Minister McEntee yesterday announced funding of €20 million to support UNRWA’s work with Palestinian refugees across the region, including in Jordan. The funding of €1.5m to UNHCR and €1m to UNICEF announced today will support those partners in their work with Syrian refugees. 

The Minister commented: “Ireland’s response to the Syria Crisis over many years, including here in Jordan, has been our largest ever humanitarian response. I remain committed to providing support to the people of Syria and will maintain the level of our financial support to the response in Jordan in 2026.

“UNRWA supports millions of Palestine refugees across Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, with Jordan hosting the largest population. It is so important to see the work that UNRWA is doing on the ground in support of these communities, despite the immensely difficult circumstances under which the Agency is operating”.

Minister for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, said: “Jordan continues to host a significant refugee population, including hundreds of thousands of people who have fled conflict and instability in Syria. UNHCR and UNICEF carry out vital work in Jordan to assist refugees from Syria. Ireland has been proud to support this work for many years and will continue to do so.”

ENDS

14 January 2026