EU Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren visited Jordan from 3 to 4 June 2026, meeting senior officials and civil society to discuss human rights, international humanitarian law, and the impact of regional conflicts. The visit, announced by the EEAS on 8 June 2026, took place under the EU-Jordan Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership and followed up on the September 2025 Subcommittee on Human Rights, Democratisation and Governance.
Ollongren met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, with whom she discussed the regional context from a human rights and international humanitarian law perspective. Both sides agreed on the importance of a rules-based multilateral order and a human rights-based future for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Lebanon, and Syria. Ollongren praised Jordan's hosting of the upcoming High-Level Conference on International Humanitarian Law, calling it a testament to Jordan's commitment that IHL is an obligation.
Engagements with civil society and institutions
The EUSR engaged with the Independent Electoral Commission and think tanks on Jordan's modernization agenda and recommendations from the EU Electoral Observation Mission. At the Jordan Media Institute, she met with HRH Princess Rym Ali, students, alumni, and media actors. She also met with civil society organizations and women's rights actors, discussing civic space, freedom of expression, gender equality, and social and economic rights. Civil society actors expressed concern about the impact of regional conflicts on human rights and called for meaningful inclusion in policy processes.
Ollongren visited the Jabal el-Hussein Camp, meeting UNRWA senior management to discuss a rights-based approach for Palestinian refugees. She also visited a UNHCR refugee registration centre, commending Jordan as a regional model in hospitality and supporting voluntary and sustainable returns of Syrian refugees.
Cultural rights and national human rights plan
At the Petra National Trust Award Ceremony, hosted by HRH Princess Dana Firas and attended by Minister of Tourism Dr. Emad Hijazin, Ollongren delivered a keynote address highlighting cultural rights and the obligation under IHL to protect cultural and religious sites during armed conflict. She encouraged Jordanian authorities to leverage commitments from the Universal Periodic Review and engage civil society and UN actors in preparing a new Comprehensive National Plan for Human Rights, initiated under Minister of Justice Bassam Talhouni.