Emergency Grant Aid to Nepal for Emergency Humanitarian Assistance

March 16, 2007

1. On March 16 (Fri), the Government of Japan decided to carry out Emergency Grant Aid totaling about 4,800,000 dollars to help improve Nepal’s humanitarian situation and boost the country’s peace-building. Of the assistance, about 4,400,000 dollars will go to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and about 400,000 dollars to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

2. Since the peace accord was reached and Maoists started to disarm themselves in Nepal, this assistance is to be extended from the need for emergency measures to be taken for children who had been involved in the internal conflict that lasted for about 11 years and for women who have been suffering from the very poor medical services. Japan’s assistance will go to the following:

(1) Return and Reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (UNICEF) (about 2,980,000 dollars)

(2) Essential Health Services of Emergency-affected Children and Women (UNICEF) (about 1,470,000 dollars)

(3) Delivering Essential Reproductive Health Care for Women, Men, and Adolescents in the Past Conflict Situation through Mobile Reproductive Health Camps (UNFPA) (about 400,000 dollars)

3. Japan has extended personnel contribution to Nepal’s peace process by, for example, dispatching election experts to the United Nations and conducting training in Japan for staff members of Nepal’s Election Commission. In terms of financial contribution, besides this emergency assistance, Japan has extended various kind of assistance for the election for the Constitutional Assembly which is supposed to be held by mid June; such as purchasing 60,000 ballot boxes.

4. As Japan hopes that Nepal’s humanitarian situation will be improved, that democracy will take root and that lasting peace will be achieved in Nepal as early as possible, Japan will continue to extend assistance for that purpose.

(END)

Back to Index