AMMAN, Jordan — President Donald Trump’s U.N. ambassador called Monday for the U.N. and aid agencies to shift focus in how they support Syrians in need by boosting support for roads, schools and hospitals in neighboring countries that have been overwhelmed by millions of refugees.
Speaking in Jordan, host to some 660,000 Syrian refugees, Nikki Haley argued that lack of coordination among aid agencies has led duplicated efforts and inefficiencies after seven years of civil war in the Arab country. She drew a distinction between short-term humanitarian aid — such as food and health supplies — and development assistance that allows countries to boost their infrastructure to accommodate the conflict’s uprooted civilians.
“You’ve got a lot of different organizations trying to do the same thing,” Haley said. “The humanitarian organizations don’t need to get into the development business. They need to do what they’re good at, and that’s the humanitarian role. We need to bring in the development organizations more.”
Haley, who is touring refugee camps and cross-border aid missions on a trip to Jordan and Turkey, said she planned to work on changing the situation when she returns, starting at a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. She said she would press countries to provide more money directly to Jordan, rather than funneling it through aid organizations.