The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been helping communities in Jordan and Turkey to cope with the influx of millions of people from war-torn Syria, with a refugee crisis response plan that has so far delivered investments worth €254 million.

A press release from the bank said around 6.6 million people, including one million refugees from neighbouring Syria, currently live and work in areas benefiting from EBRD investments and technical cooperation projects focused mainly on improving strained municipal infrastructure, which serves a population that has increased sharply.

In addition, the EBRD refugee response aims to create job opportunities through boosting small businesses and increasing the economic inclusion of groups such as young people and women who are unable to participate fully in the economy.

In Jordan, among several projects in the municipal and infrastructure sector, the EBRD has provided a €106 million loan to the Greater Amman Municipality for the solid waste infrastructure urgently needed in the country’s capital, given the significant increase in waste due to the number of Syrian refugees. A loan in Jordanian dinars, equivalent to €1.8 million, to Microfund for Women will increase access to finance for women, including refugees and people living in more remote regions.

In south-eastern Turkey, the EBRD is providing finance of €80 million to build a modern hospital in Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border, where refugees account for over a third of the population, under a public-private scheme.

“Through its refugee response work, the EBRD will continue to focus on developing the resilience and inclusiveness of local economies, improving public services and helping create jobs and economic opportunities for all,” the EBRD press release concluded.

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Press release

EBRD – Refugees: building host countries’ resilience

EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis