AMMAN, Jordan (AP) – International lenders and the Middle Eastern countries hosting most Syrian refugees on Monday looked for ways out of a chronic aid shortage, such as offering cheap loans to hard-hit Jordan and Lebanon.
The idea of potentially interest-free loans was first raised late last year. Representatives from the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the United Nations met with officials from refugee host countries in Jordan on Monday to present more details and gauge the response.
The closed-door meeting in the Jordanian capital of Amman came a week before an annual Syria aid conference, which is to be held in London this year.
International funding for easing the fallout from the Syria refugee crisis has persistently fallen short.
An appeal for close to $9 billion for 2016 is expected to be made in London next week. This would include $3.18 billion to alleviate suffering inside Syria and $5.75 billion for close to 4.3 million refugees and their regional host countries, among them Jordan and Lebanon.