Jordan’s ambassador to the UK has urged the Conservative government in London to throw open Britain’s borders to skilled workers from his home country to help with soaring unemployment rates as it struggles with the long-term burden of millions of refugees from its neighbours.
Manar Dabbas said an increase in visas would go a long way towards helping his nation reinvigorate its embattled economy as it absorbs the shocks of conflict and division from across the Middle East.
In the 12 months to June 2022, Britain issued fewer than 11,000 permits to Jordanians, the majority of which were for short-term visits.
More than 11 years after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Jordan continues to host about 1.3 million refugees from the neighbouring country.
It also supports 2.1 million Palestinian refugees — most of whom fled their homeland decades ago — as well as 100,000 Iraqi refugees. Those with refugee status account for 36 per cent of the overall population.
The country’s hospitality offered to those fleeing violence has in recent years placed increased strains on the country’s health, education and water supply sectors and caused unemployment to skyrocket to 22 per cent.
The mass influx of refugees sent the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to debt ratio from 60 per cent to 94 per cent, figures from the Jordanian embassy in London show.
Jordan has offered 300,000 work permits to refugees, allowing them to take jobs in the agricultural and construction sectors. But because the majority of Syrian refugees are paid in cash, the economy does not benefit from taxes and Jordanians find it difficult to compete.
Speaking to the UK Parliament's International Development Committee on Tuesday, Mr Dabbas called on Britain and its partners to help Jordan by offering more cash donations and longer-term assistance.
“The UK has done its share and, as a strategic ally and partner, has worked alongside [Jordan] since day one,” he said.
Mr Dabbas added: “The UK is unique in terms of being an excellent convener whereby the UK could convene key international players like they did back in 2019 with the London Initiative” — a major international conference held in the UK capital aimed at supporting investment, growth and jobs for Jordan.
While he acknowledged the UK is facing difficulties due to the energy crisis, he stressed “the UK is in a very good place to do something similar to what it did back in 2019”.
He suggested Britain could “explore the possibility of bringing more skilled Jordanian labour to the UK market and also push certain inward investment” to the developing nation.
Jordan’s surplus of qualified and trained doctors was mentioned as one area for potential collaboration, given that the UK’s National Health Service is lacking medics.
Mr Dabbas said in the first few years of the refugee crisis, Jordan received a “good response” from the international community in terms of aid for refugees. But in recent years the flow of cash has been reduced to a trickle.
“Donor fatigue … is not an option or a choice because this was a crisis not of our own making,” he said. “It was a crisis that was imposed on us and therefore we’ve been shouldering the burden of this crisis as part of our international commitment and obligations.
“Hence, the international community should step up its effort to increase support for Jordan.”
He added that the UNHCR working in Jordan has to deal with “shocking” numbers and huge funding gaps. Only 11 per cent of the £2.3 billion requested by Jordan to support refugees has been received from donors around the world.
On the possibility of a free trade deal with the UK, Mr Dabbas said Jordan had reached an association agreement with its ally and hopes to seal a pact in the future.
Syrian refugees in Jordan — in pictures
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%201%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Leolia%20Jeanjean%206-1%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%202%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Naomi%20Osaka%207-6%2C%201-6%2C%207-5%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%203%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marie%20Bouzkova%206-4%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%204%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Anastasia%20Potapova%206-0%2C%206-0%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marketa%20Vondrousova%206-0%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Coco%20Gauff%206-2%2C%206-4%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Jasmine%20Paolini%206-2%2C%206-2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
Favourite book: Ian McEwan’s Atonement – the ending alone knocked me for six.
Favourite holiday destination: Italy - music and opera is so much part of the life there. I love it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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