Japan makes additional contribution of 7.4 million USD to UNIDO projects in Africa and the Middle East

The Government of Japan has approved a supplementary budget totalling 7.4 million USD for further humanitarian assistance projects in Africa and the Middle East, to be carried out in cooperation with UNIDO. The beneficiary projects in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Somalia and Sudan aim at creating sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable communities and supporting host communities that have been impacted by the influx of refugees.
 
The programmes led by UNIDO will assist in diversifying local economies, and in turn increasing the resilience of communities and individuals. They place an important emphasis on upgrading vocational and commercial skills, especially of youth and women, thereby integrating them productively into the economy, raising incomes and contributing to food and overall security.
 
The kick-off ceremony and exchange of notes verbales took place today at the UNIDO Headquarter between Ambassador Mitsuru Kitano from the Permanent Mission of Japan, and UNIDO Director-General Li Yong, in the presense of representatives from the Permanent Missions of recipient countries in Vienna, and UNIDO project managers.

During the meeting, Ambassador Kitano explained that some of these projects supported youth and women. He appreciated UNIDO’s focus on inclusiveness in its programmatic activities, and underlined Japan’s contribution to the ISID of the recipient Member States with its knowledge and experience. He requested implementation of the projects in an expeditious manner, in addition to enhance the visibility of Japan-UNIDO collaboration, and concluded that Japan looked forward to further cooperation with the Organization in these areas, in line with the Government of Japan’s priorities.
 
DG Li Yong expressed his appreciation for this support and committed to a smooth implementation of these projects focusing on human security. Following DG Li’s statement, partner countries also expressed their appreciation with their own episode.  The Ambassador of Sudan raised the importance of soybean processing for his country. The Ambassador of Iraq recognized Japan’s support as a strong message that Iraq is not alone in fighting for freedom. The Representative from the Permanent Mission of Jordan valued this support to mitigate the burden of hosting refugees and help provide better services. And the representative from the Permanent Mission of Morocco appreciated this project to improve the lives of people on the ground.
 
 
The projects and pledged amounts in detail:
 
Egypt:  Youth employment for socio-economic stability in Upper Egypt    
$1,000,000 US Dollars
 
Iraq:  Integrated stabilization, economic recovery and reconstruction support for displaced and returnees in Iraq 
$1,500,000 US Dollars
 
Jordan:  Creating employment and improving food security in the host communities of Syrian refugees in Northern and Central Badia in Jordan  
$1,892,700 US Dollars
 
Lebanon:  Creating sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by influx of Syrian refugees in Northern Lebanon through improving job opportunities in the furniture industry
 
$1,000,000 US Dollars
 
Morocco:  Reducing economic vulnerability for increased stability through industrial skills development and business linkages
$791,000 US Dollars
 
Somalia:  Community stabilization through restoring livelihoods for at risk youth along key border areas between Kenya and Somalia 
                                                 $625,000 US Dollars
 
Sudan:  Supporting food and nutrition security in Sudan through soybean processing
 
$630,000 US Dollars
 
 
Link: UNIDO Homepage