Khaldon Azhari

TOKYO: Japan on Friday decided to extend emergency grant aid of $7.2 million US dollars for vulnerable refugees and internally displaced people, facing humanitarian crisis inside Syria.

The humanitarian assistance included food, winter clothing kits, and packages of house repairs, as well as assistance in the areas of wash and health, according to the foreign ministry in Tokyo.

The aid will be provided through international organizations such as the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Japan expects approximately 480,000 people to receive this assistance in terms of food items, and  around 5,400 children to get non-food items for winterization. Further, about 43,000 people will have improved access to safe water and electricity. The assistance will also help improve access to water and electricity through renovating water/hygiene facilities for 50 elementary schools, 6 primary health care facilities, and 5 forensic facilities, and provision of medical equipment.

Medical equipment will be also provided to about 7,000 people to improve the medical and health services, while package of house repairs for winterization will be provided to approximately 2,600 people.

The ministry said Japan will continue to work closely with the international community toward the settlement of Syrian crisis through improving the humanitarian situation in Syria and advancing the UN-facilitated political process.

Details of the amount of assistance through international organizations are decided to be $3.6 million through WFP,  $1.8 million through UNRWA,  $0.95 million through UNHCR, $0.3 million through UNICEF,  $05 million through OCHA, and $0.5 million through ICRC.