The Jordan Compact: Lessons Learnt and Implications for Future Refugee Compacts

In February 2016, a new approach to dealing with protracted displacement was signed: the Jordan Compact. In return for billions of dollars in grants and loans and preferential trade agreements with the European Union (EU), Jordan committed to improving access to education and legal employment for its Syrian refugees. Donor governments, host governments and international organisations currently considering new refugee compacts should start with what refugees need and want, and be realistic about what such arrangements can achieve.