The canton of Basel-Stadt’s social engagement with the Jordanian city of Sahab goes back to a request to the government to consider a partnership with a city that has been severely affected by a refugee crisis.

Sahab is located in the south-east of the Jordanian capital of Amman, about 75 kilometres from the Syrian border. Around a quarter of its approximately 190,000 inhabitants are refugees, mainly from Syria. The rapid population growth after the outbreak of the civil war in Syria has put further pressure on Sahab’s already weak public infrastructure. All areas of public life have been affected.

The Grand Council has granted a financial contribution of 1.2 million Swiss francs over four years for the social engagement. Moreover, the canton of Basel-Stadt will support the development of the projects by providing technical expertise.

The President of the Government, Beat Jans, received the Mayor of Sahab, Abbas Al Maharmeh, at Basel Town Hall on 24 August 2023. Together they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the years 2023 to 2026 and discussed urban gardening and self-sufficiency, participation and the maintenance of green spaces.