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Exchange of Notes for Grant Aid through the World Food Programme (WFP) for the Project of Food Aid for Poverty Areas including Ethnic Minorities in Myanmar

April 18, 2012
Japanese

  1. The Government of Japan has decided to extend a Grant Aid of 814 million yen through the World Food Programme (WFP) for the Project of Food Aid for Poverty Areas including Ethnic Minorities in Myanmar. Notes to this effect were exchanged on Wednesday, April 18 (same day local time) in Rome, between H.E. Mr. Masaharu Kohno, Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Italy, and Ms. Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, the United Nations World Food Programme.

  2. Due to the floods and other disasters that have struck the country since July 2011, the important agricultural zone of Magway and surrounding areas in central Myanmar have suffered serious damage. This has made food support for the poor, including ethnic minorities, in areas facing food shortages a pressing issue.

  3. This project will provide urgent food support (12,160 tons of food for approximately 345,000 people) to those suffering malnutrition due to natural disasters, conflict, poverty or other reasons, in the farming communities of Myanmar, including areas that have suffered flood damage and areas where ethnic minorities reside. The food will be provided as compensation for the labour of local residents for construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, and irrigation canals (Food for Work).

  4. In addition, improvement of basic infrastructure under this project will promote community development in the agricultural areas of Myanmar and contribute to post-disaster reconstruction and improvement of the living standard of the impoverished.

[Reference 1]
The total area of Myanmar is approximately 680,000 square kilometers (about 1.8 times the size of Japan). It has a population of 62,420,000 (according to 2011 IMF estimates), and its per capita GDP (the average annual income of the populace) is 702 US dollars (according to 2011 IMF estimates).

[Reference 2]
Food for Work is a program that distributes food as compensation for work. This support will improve the food situation while simultaneously recovering and creating basic community infrastructure.

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