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Japan & UNDP agree to support food security and livelihoods in Syrian crisis affected communities

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New York - The Regional Bureau for Arab States of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement with the Government of Japan to expand efforts to contribute to food security and livelihoods, strengthening resilience of communities affected by the crisis in Syria within the framework of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). The agreement will be implemented by UNDP Syria, in cooperation with the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the United Nations Mine Action Service, and builds on ongoing partnership with Japan for the efforts of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes to reach the most vulnerable people across the country.

The new project will be funded in the amount of JPY 950,000,000 (USD 8.75 million) and will focus on the rehabilitation of basic services for communities to support their food security and livelihoods, and improve mine-risk education. The project builds on Japan’s earlier assistance to UNDP’s work aimed at enhancing the resilience of vulnerable people and communities across the country, most notably through supporting rehabilitation of social service facilities, promoting access to basic services and scaling up livelihoods programmes.

“Japan stays engaged in humanitarian assistance to all Syrians wherever they are to meet their needs,” Mr. Akira Endo, Special Coordinator for Syria and Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Japan in Syria. “The humanitarian crisis in Syria has become more complicated, particularly with the impacts of COVID-19, which deprived thousands of households of their food security and livelihoods. We sincerely hope that our support will make a significant contribution to people in need of assistance and alleviates the suffering of as many Syrian as possible.”

The contribution made by the Government of Japan comes at a time when food insecurity has reached record levels, with 60 percent of the population considered food insecure. Recognizing the significance of this contribution, Ms. Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of UNDP Syria notes that “the COVID-19 outbreak aggravated the impact of a decade of conflict in Syria and took a massive socio-economic toll, especially on those most vulnerable. Japan’s contribution and commitment remain as critical as ever to enable Syrian women and men to strengthen their resilience and their lives, which is essential to restore livelihoods and food security for people in Syria.”

In line with the HRP, the project aims to strengthen the linkages between humanitarian relief and community resilience. UNDP leads the early recovery and livelihoods cluster of the United Nations HRP in Syria.