Assistance in response to droughts in the "Horn of Africa" (Emergency relief goods provided to refugee camps in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia)

September 7, 2011
Japanese

On Wednesday, September 7, the Government of Japan decided to provide emergency relief goods (power generators, tents, etc.) that were stockpiled in the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)'s warehouse in Frankfurt and others, worth 40 million yen (around 500,000 US dollars) to assist refugee camps located in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, through JICA in response to the request by the Ethiopian Government.
Droughts have become worse since last autumn in the "Horn of Africa" and with insufficient rainfall during this year's spring rainy season, a food crisis is occurring caused by the worst droughts in the last 60 years. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that approximately 12.4 million people need emergency humanitarian assistance in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
Japan has so far decided and implemented 95 million US dollars assistance in cooperation with international organizations, assistance to activities by NGOs in the area (worth 80 million yen / 1 million US dollars) and the delivery of emergency relief goods to Kenya (worth 50 million yen/ 600,000 US dollars). The delivery of emergency relief goods this time is another step of the assistance by Japan. These goods will be used by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) operating in the refugee camps in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Japan will rapidly implement this new assistance and continue to provide necessary humanitarian assistance while keeping an eye on future developments.

Japan's assistance
(1)Japan implemented assistance worth about 90 million US dollars (7.2 billion yen) through international organizations including the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) between January and February 2011.

(2)In response to the request for assistance to the "Horn of Africa" expressed by Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on July 12, Japan decided to work with the WFP and implement food assistance on July 15, with grant aid of 5 million US dollars (about 400 million yen).

(3)On August 2, the Japan Platform (JPF), which manages major Japanese NGOs offering international assistance, decided to allocate 80 million yen (about 1 million US dollars) of government funds to the assistance in the area.

(4) On August 5, Japan provided emergency relief goods (worth 50 million yen) through JICA. They have been used for assisting refugee camps in Kenya by UNHCR.

Statement made by Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on July 12
"In the 'Horn of Africa', more than 11 million people are in need of life-saving assistance as they face the worst drought in decades. I have summoned UN agencies (the UNHCR, the WFP, UNICEF, the UNDP, and the OCHA) to consider how to work on this issue and agreed we must do everything we can do to prevent this crisis deepening".

(*This is a provisional translation. The above date denotes the date of the issue of the original press release in Japanese.)

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