Press Release Development Minister Alabali Radovan pledges assistance for Middle East

31 March 2026 | Development Minister Alabali Radovan pledged additional support for the Middle East in Jordan today. The Iran war is hitting the region particularly hard: people are suffering from direct attacks, destruction and displacement and also from a deteriorating supply situation that is caused by rising prices and closed border crossings. That is why the Development Ministry (BMZ) is making funds available for Jordan, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

Federal Minister Alabali Radovan said, “This war is not our war. But this crisis is our crisis, too – and it is already having a direct impact on us. The consequences will be dramatic unless we work together and make every effort to combat the crisis. What matters now is securing lasting peace for the region as soon as possible. It is also about preserving opportunities for the people in the region. That is why our support is first and foremost an expression of solidarity with the people in the region. And at the same time, it is also in Germany's own interest. It is not only a humanitarian imperative; it is also a security policy and economic necessity.”

The support package involves funds amounting to 177 million euros. Part of this had already been earmarked for the region, another part is being made available by shifting funds within the Ministry's budget.

From this package, 50 million euros is being made available to assist Syrian refugees in Jordan – with a large proportion being earmarked to pay teaching staff and thus give Syrian children the opportunity to go to school. Another part is intended to support employment projects in the area of waste and recycling management and vocational training and upskilling measures – in view, in particular, of a return to Syria and the reconstruction of the country.

The BMZ is providing 22 million euros in addition to earlier commitments to support the planned seawater desalination plant in the Red Sea.

30 million euros from the BMZ package is earmarked to support the people in Gaza and the West Bank: out of this, 10 million euros for further accommodation units in addition to the more than 1,500 temporary housing units that have already been financed and partially set up in Gaza. 10 million euros for employment promotion measures in the West Bank and additional funds for vocational training for young people and for kickstarting local food production.

75 million euros is earmarked for Lebanon. So far, only a small proportion of the roughly one million internally displaced persons have found emergency shelter, the rest is forced to sleep out in the open or in cars. The funds are being used to finance cash-for-work programmes, for instance jobs in temporary soup kitchens or jobs related to sewing sleeping bags for people in the streets. Funds are also used for teaching materials that enable children to take part in distance learning.

All three countries are affected by the Iran war: Jordan is being impacted, in particular, by the increase in prices, the collapse of the tourism sector and pressure on the national budget – all of which is also posing a threat to the support provided to the millions of refugees who have come to Jordan. Approximately 25 to 30 per cent of the population are refugees, mainly from the Palestinian territories and Syria. The Palestinian territories because less aid is allowed into Gaza via border crossings, because settler violence in the West Bank is expanding and because parts are hit by missile fragments. And Lebanon because it is a direct target where more than 1,200 people have been killed, some 3,500 injured and roughly one million internally displaced.