Amman (September 21) – U.S. and Jordanian officials signed grant documents totaling $429.7 million at a ceremony in Amman today. The grants were signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Jim Barnhart at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. U.S. Ambassador Alice G. Wells also attended the ceremony.

The grants will support economic development, enhance health and education services, strengthen the energy sector, and improve management of water resources. These agreements highlight the strong and lasting commitment of the American people to supporting Jordan’s efforts to address its most pressing development challenges.

The grant agreements signed today include:

·         $231.4 million in the form of a cash transfer to assist the Government of Jordan in reducing external debt repayments.

·         $49.9 million to increase the quality of public education;

·         $44.9 million to improve public and private health sector capacity;

·         $29.2 million to accelerate economic development;

·         $24.6 million to expand sustainable management of water resources;

·         $35.7 million to support King Abdullah’s democratic reforms; and

·         $14 million to support positive youth development and female empowerment.

The agreements signed today fall under the scope of $1 billion in yearly assistance to Jordan, agreed upon by President Obama and His Majesty King Abdullah II during their last meeting in December 2014, where President Obama stated: “Because Jordan is such an important partner, because they are carrying such an important burden, including accommodating hundreds of thousands of Syrians who’ve been displaced because of the Syrian civil war, I am very proud of the continued support that we've been able to provide Jordan, a small, resource-poor country, but one that consistently steps up and meets its responsibilities.”

The U.S. assistance program to Jordan is among the largest in the world, and is founded upon a strong partnership linking the Jordanian and American people. U.S. economic assistance to Jordan over the last ten years of partnership (2005-2014) totals $4.7 billion.

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