Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan is providing Syria with a grant of ¥950 million (about $9 million) humanitarian aid to help strengthen livelihoods by securing a stable food supply and employment opportunities for citizens, including internally displaced persons in the country.

An agreement for the aid was signed on Thursday in New York at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) headquarters between Kimihiro Ishikane, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations, and Karida Buzard, the Assistant Secretary-General of UNDP and other related officials.

“About 11.7 million people, including 6.2 million internally displaced persons, need some kind of assistance and the humanitarian crisis continues. As a result of the crisis continuing for many years, the economic situation has deteriorated due to the effects of the new coronavirus infection, etc., while basic social services are lacking, and many people are in danger of severe living conditions and food shortages,” the foreign ministry in Tokyo said on Thursday (March 11.)

The assistance factors in the deteriorating situation in the northeastern part of al-Hasake Prefecture as wheat production decreased significantly due to the destruction of irrigation facilities, fighting, the shortage of materials necessary for production, and damage to farming equipment. At the same time, the presence of land mines and other residual explosives throughout the region, including agricultural land, threatens the safety of farmers.

“This assistance will support the process from wheat production to bread production by repairing irrigation facilities, providing materials and equipment to improve wheat productivity, repairing public flour mills and bakeries, and at the same time engaging in agriculture. It will also provide irrigation education for citizens and communities,” the ministry said.

This grant comes at the 10th year since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in March 2011, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said.