By Omar Obeidat

AMMAN –– The US on Wednesday granted Jordan $100 million to support the treasury, fund several development projects in vital sectors and help create employment opportunities.

The new grant, provided under the US additional economic aid programme for 2010, made the total amount of financial aid the Kingdom received from the US over the past six months $738 million, including $363 million in regular assistance, in addition to a $275 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), signed in October to finance major water projects in Zarqa Governorate.

Under the four agreements signed yesterday by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Jafar Hassan, US Ambassador to Jordan Stephen Beecroft and USAID mission acting Director Dina Mansouri, $31 million was granted in direct support to the state budget to fund several priority projects.

A total of $54.5 million will be allocated to support various projects in the sectors of health and education and to combat poverty and empower youths in underprivileged areas, while another $10.5 million will be used to help spur trade, enhance the investment environment in the country and create more employment opportunities for Jordanians, according to Hassan.

Among the agreements was a $4 million grant to fund ongoing priority projects aimed to boost the Kingdom’s political development by supporting civil society organisations.

“This exceptional additional assistance to Jordan, which comes at an important timing, will help alleviate some of the pressures on our national budget through the cash transfer grant, as well as provide us with the funding to move ahead with the implementation of priority projects, particularly in the sectors of education and health,” the minister noted during the signing ceremony.

He added that both parties have worked together on the breakdown of the assistance to support priority projects and national initiatives under the new Executive Development Programme for 2011-2013.

“USAID remains the number one donor and a key partner in our development, modernisation and reform process,” Hassan remarked, indicating significant achievements and key reforms were made over the many years in various priority areas; water, environment, health, education, private sector development, enhancing the business climate, tourism, energy, youth, enhancing good governance and poverty alleviation.

“We have enjoyed a longstanding partnership for more than 60 years now. We fully support the commitment of the Jordanian government to implement a bold development agenda to improve the lives of Jordanians - especially the poor, young and underprivileged,” the US ambassador said.