Olivér Várhelyi, new Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement, participated in the Global Refugee Forum, held in Geneva between 16 and 18 December. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “bold and concrete pledges” to face the global humanitarian crisis. Private sector companies including IKEA, Lego or Vodafone Foundation, pledged $250 million to refugee assistance. During the sidelines of the event, Várhelyi met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, to discuss how to enhance the Jordanian-European partnership and boost cooperation, particularly in the economic field. Safadi expressed gratitude for the EU’s support to Jordan, in particular for the upcoming €500 million soft loan to support the economic reform programme, and the continuous economic backing of UNRWA. The EU Commissioner also met with Turkish Foreign Minsiter Mevlut Cavusoglu and discussed about EU-Turkey relations and the importance to keep channels of communication open. They also addressed the implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement on Syrian refugees.