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Japan provides vital support for displaced persons in ethnic minority areas

Countries
Myanmar
+ 1 more
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UNHCR
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Naypyidaw – Hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) are set to benefit from a significant Japanese contribution to the UN refugee agency in Myanmar.

On 22 March 2013 the Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, His Excellency Mr. Mikio Numata, officially handed over 651,000,000 Japanese yen (approximately US$6.9 million) at a ceremony in Naypidaw in the presence of Deputy Minister for Border Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H.E. Major General Zaw Win.

The ‘Programme for Assistance to Displaced Persons in Ethnic Minority Areas’ grant, provided by the Government of Japan and in cooperation with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will help UNHCR to support IDPs throughout the country, including in its emergency operations in Rakhine and Kachin States and along its border with Thailand.

“This grant will make an enormous difference to the lives of many people who’ve lost their homes and livelihoods, through no fault of their own”, said Ayaki Ito, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Myanmar. “This extremely generous donation will help us to support approximately 220,000 displaced people and provide them with improved shelter, access to healthcare and water. It will also allow us to better support the most vulnerable among the populations.”

More than 430,000 people are estimated to be displaced in Myanmar, largely due to conflict. Many face a multitude of challenges in their daily lives including difficult living conditions, limited livelihood opportunities and poor access to essential services. UNHCR works tirelessly, and without bias, to support all ethnic groups affected by displacement.

This donation is by far the largest received by UNHCR this year.

Every day, around the world, UNHCR assists and protects some 26 million refugees and internally displaced people who have been forced to flee their homes.

For more information contact: Anna Little - PIO, UNHCR Myanmar, littlea@unhcr.org / +95 945 006 1374