Saudi Gazette Report

AMMAN — The CEO of Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Sultan Bin Abdurrahman Al-Marshad, inaugurated on Wednesday a project to develop a renewable energy electricity network in Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

The project, which is estimated to cost S9.2 million will be carried out in cooperation and coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The project is the first of its kind in the world in the field of renewable energy, as it provides clean energy for free for more than 5400,000 Syrian refugees, and secures electricity for more than 10,000 shelters, by connecting all camp facilities to the electrical network.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by a number of senior Jordanian officials and representatives of the UNHCR.

Commenting on the project, Al-Marshad, the CEO of the SFD, said: "We have a long relationship with the UNHCR extending over a decade during which we were able to jointly provide support to a large number of refugees around the world with the Saudi contribution through the fund.”

Al-Marshad also said that the fund has supported Syrian refugees and host governments with an amount of $300 million and implemented 17 projects worth $78 million in cooperation with the UNHCR.

The fund’s support for the residents of Azraq camp was not only limited to the project to develop the electricity network but also included financial allocations of $3 million to provide health and treatment care to more than 37,000 refugees, he added.

In turn, the Senior Regional External Relations Officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mamoun Mohsen, thanked Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Fund for Development for their efforts in supporting UNHCR.

He praised the role played by the Fund in developing this important project that will provide electricity to tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who live in a harsh environment in the camp, where the development of the electricity network has improved their daily lives.

For his part, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Jordan Nayef Bin Bandar Al-Sudairy said: "The qualitative project to develop the Azraq refugee camp network reflects the great efforts made by the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin in supporting the Syrian refugees and the countries hosting them."