Khaberni - UN estimates indicate that Jordan bears the "highest additional financial cost" among Arab countries, relative to the size of its economy, to alleviate the economic and social impacts of the American-Israeli war with Iran, while the government confirms it continues to bear part of the energy costs and precautionary measures to maintain price stability and secure citizens' needs.
According to a report issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the additional financial cost percentage estimated for Jordan is about 0.691% of Gross National Product (GDP), which is the highest among Arab countries, in the context of efforts to reduce poverty rates and preserve the purchasing power of families.
According to the report, Jordan has adopted measures to reduce the impact of the war, such as lowering the prices of flour and wheat to offset the effects of rising fuel prices, maintaining gas prices, and gradually raising oil prices to limit their impact on citizens' purchasing power.
Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan confirmed that the government has not fully reflected the global rise in fuel prices on the domestic market, aiming to limit the war's effects on citizens and the economy, noting that the additional monthly costs in the energy sector and electricity production have exceeded 150 million dinars.
In the same vein, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, said that the halt in gas supplies led Jordan to operate power stations using alternative fuel, at an additional cost of about 3 million dinars daily, and approximately 100 million dinars per month, while the government has kept the electricity tariff unchanged, bearing a part of the financial burdens resulting from the war.
The government's measures were not limited to the energy sector, as it enhanced the strategic stock of basic commodities to ensure continuous supply and market stability. Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply, Yarub Al-Qudah, mentioned that the wheat stock is sufficient for six months within the kingdom, and rises to about ten months when considering the contracted quantities, confirming the continuity of supply chains and no justification for panic buying of goods.
With the rise in energy, transport, and supply costs, the government also took measures to rationalize public spending, which included reducing official delegation travels and cutting government expenses, in an attempt to contain the financial pressures resulting from the war without compromising essential services.
ESCWA estimates indicate that Jordan faces the highest additional financial burden in the Arab region to contain the social impacts of the war, while government measures show that this burden has translated into bearing direct costs in the energy sector, maintaining the stability of electricity and fuel prices, and enhancing food security, which limits the transfer of the crisis's repercussions to the living standards of citizens.
