UNICEF Executive Director calls for sustained support for children in Jordan as funding declines

UNICEF chief urges donors to sustain funding for children in Jordan as support wanes

AMMAN/NEW YORK — UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell concluded a two-day visit to Jordan on 29 September 2026, praising the country's progress for children while warning that declining international funding threatens essential services. During the visit Russell met with Minister of Education and Human Resources Development Dr. Azmi Mahafzah and Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa, and spent time with children at a Jordan River Foundation community centre where UNICEF and the Foundation deliver learning, protection and psychosocial support.

"Jordan is achieving impressive results for children," Russell said, underscoring UNICEF's continued support for national priorities. "UNICEF will continue our support for the Government's efforts in turning school enrolment into quality learning and future jobs. And we will support on making social protection a gateway to vital services, with special focus on children with disabilities."

Russell highlighted several concrete advances: near-universal primary school attendance and the enactment of the Child Rights Law of 2022, which codifies children's rights into national law. At the same time, she flagged persistent gaps affecting the most vulnerable. UNICEF's assessment shared during the visit noted that roughly one in seven children live in multidimensional poverty without reliable access to services such as health care and education. Nearly three in four children aged 1 to 14 experience violent discipline at home, and about 39 percent of young people are out of work.

• Visit length: two days, including a stop at the Jordan River Foundation community centre.
• Refugee context: Jordan hosted up to 1.3 million Syrian refugees at the height of the conflict; many remain in need of support.
• Legislative milestone: Child Rights Law enacted in 2022.

Jordan's record on hosting refugees remains a central element of UNICEF's appeal. The country welcomed an estimated 1.3 million refugees during the peak of the Syrian crisis; while thousands have since returned, UNICEF says many refugees still depend on sustained international assistance. Russell stressed that the current "declining funding environment" is undermining the capacity to deliver essential services to vulnerable children, including those in refugee-hosting communities.

UNICEF is publicly calling for continued donor support, specifically requesting flexible, multi-year funding that can bolster Jordan's domestic systems. Russell and UNICEF framed this approach as one that would help translate national strategies in social protection, child protection and youth support into durable improvements for every child — with particular emphasis on turning high enrollment figures into quality learning outcomes and on extending social protection for children with disabilities.

Jordanian ministers engaged during the visit — Dr. Azmi Mahafzah and Wafa Bani Mustafa — discussed needs across education, social services and child protection, signaling readiness for partnerships that channel resources into systems-strengthening. UNICEF's appeal focused on funding modalities designed to support those systems over time rather than one-off project grants.

Looking ahead, UNICEF's message is a clear policy ask: without renewed, predictable donor commitments Jordan's recent gains for children risk reversal. The agency is prioritising collaboration with government partners to convert legislative gains and near-universal access into measurable improvements in quality, equity and protection — contingent on the international community providing the flexible, multi-year funding Russell called for.