Middle East

$100 million from World Bank to create 100,000 Jordan jobs

Associated Press
Published | Updated

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim arrive to the office of the Jordanian prime minister, in Amman, Jordan, Sunday, March 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) (The Associated Press)

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, right, meets with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, center, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, at the prime minister's office in Amman Jordan, Sunday, March 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) (The Associated Press)

From left to right, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Jordan's Planning Minister Imad Fakhoury, hold a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman, Jordan, Sunday, March 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) (The Associated Press)

The World Bank president has announced that Jordan will receive a $100 million long-term interest-free loan to help create 100,000 jobs for Syrian refugees and its own citizens.

The loan is part of an attempt by the international community to improve conditions for refugees in regional host countries, including Jordan and Lebanon. More than 4.8 million Syrians have fled their country since the start of the Syria conflict in 2011.

Cheap loans by the World Bank and other donors are among the new tools meant to help finance education and job creation for refugees in overburdened host countries.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who was visiting Jordan with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said Sunday he did not know how many of the 100,000 jobs would be for refugees.