Goodbye 2021 and welcome 2022! Despite the worldwide difficulties of 2021, Americans joined Jordanians in celebrating the Centennial Year of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We look forward to standing alongside you for your next 100 years.
اضافة اعلان
In 2021, the United States and Jordan continued to partner on important work. The United States provided economic recovery support, including a $40 million contribution to the government of Jordan’s Istidama wage subsidy program, and established a multi-donor fund that raised over $100 million to bolster the National Aid Fund’s emergency cash assistance for Jordan’s most vulnerable populations.
We teamed up to ensure the Kingdom had enough vaccines, including a donation of 500,000 Pfizer doses. Together, we trained over 17,000 frontline health workers, increased daily PCR testing capacity to over 50,000 per day, and provided lifesaving equipment to hospitals across Jordan.
US and Jordanian military medical experts worked shoulder to shoulder to strengthen the intensive care and trauma care systems of the Royal Medical Services. In 2022, we will maintain the fight against COVID and get more people vaccinated — to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors. Although we mourn those taken from us by this terrible disease, we celebrate the many lives saved and are eager to save still more.
President Joe Biden has continued the Washington tradition of seeking Jordan’s diplomatic counsel. Indeed, His Majesty King Abdullah was the first Arab leader invited to the Biden White House. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prioritized an Amman visit on his first overseas trip to the Middle East. Together, our countries continue taking measures that reinforce stability and well-being for the people of this region.
We also worked together on problems specific to Jordan. As Jordan’s dams ran dry this summer, USAID partnered with the government of Jordan to manage scarce resources and bring new water supply to the Kingdom. To understand Jordan’s economic challenges and determine how the United States might help, senior US officials — including our top diplomatic representative to the United Nations — traveled here to meet Jordanian leaders as well as refugees. Additionally, the US resumed funding for UNRWA to address the refugee crisis.
For me, a highpoint of this past year was visiting Jordanians across the Kingdom. From Irbid to Zarqa to Aqaba, I met students, young professionals, family caregivers, entrepreneurs, teachers, public servants, small business owners, NGO workers, and farmers. I continue to be impressed by their commitment and dedication to making a better tomorrow for Jordan.
In 2022, we will partner with Jordan on pressing economic challenges: water and jobs. The US will support all efforts to ensure a stable, affordable water supply. We will also work with Jordan to enable private sector growth, facilitating Jordanian talent and resources to create jobs and a more secure future.
Here is to a better tomorrow and to a New Year of opportunities. We will tackle the challenges that come our way as we always do, together.
The writer is the US ambassador to Jordan.
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