Learning from the Jordan Compact

Lenner and Turner cite that analysis of the implementation of the Jordan Compact offers three key lessons: governmental approval is important but not sufficient, the incorporation of critical voices is crucial, and meeting numeric targets is not the same as achieving underlying goals. The formal integration of Syrians into the labor markets of Syria's neighboring countries was something of a taboo for the first five years of the Syria crisis. Middle Eastern governments steadfastly refused to contemplate it. Nor, typically, did they allow humanitarian actors to undertake livelihoods programming for Syrians. This changed in February 2016, at a donor conference in London, when Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey all publicly committed themselves to improving economic opportunities for Syrian refugees. Labor market access can be crucial for refugees seeking to build dignified lives in exile. Facilitating that access can therefore have the potential to significantly improve refugees' material and psychosocial circumstances. That does not make success a foregone conclusion, however. By incorporating refugees' voices and perspectives into livelihoods interventions from the start -- it will be possible to develop strategies that can actually offer dignified, decent and sustainable work opportunities for refugees.