Assistance for "Assistance to the Refugees of the UNHCR Settlements in Buduburam and Krisan for their Repatriation, Local Integration and Resettlement through Micro and Small-Scale Enterprise Development" Project in Ghana

November 10, 2006

On the 10th of November (Friday), the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 1,745,782 US dollars (approximately 197.27 million yen), through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled "Assistance to the Refugees of the UNHCR Settlements in Buduburam and Krisan for their Repatriation, Local Integration and Resettlement through Micro and Small-Scale Enterprise Development" that will be implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Republic of Ghana.
The refugee settlements in Buduburam and Krisan in Ghana host more than 40,000 refugees mainly from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and other western African countries. The settlements face problems such as chronic water shortages, electricity supply constraints, increasing sanitary and hygiene problems and lack of income earning opportunities, leaving the refugees under vulnerable conditions. This project aims at addressing these problems through developing small enterprises and ensuring a clean physical environment for the refugees and host communities. The following activities will be implemented:
- Improving hygiene standards of refugee settlements through construction of latrines and waste disposals;
- Strengthening cooperation among refugees and the host communities through sensitisation campaigns to inform the host community of its obligation to the refugees and the refugees of their obligation to the host community;
- Increasing agricultural productivity for selected crops and livestock through establishing demonstration plots;
- Introducing feasible economic and productive activities in the settlements and the host communities through training programs;
- Increasing the skill levels of refugees and host communities through the provision of entrepreneurial and technical training.
This project is expected to contribute to empowering the refugees in Ghana for their repatriation to their home countries and harmonizing the refugees with the host communities.

(Note)

The Trust Fund for Human Security was established in the United Nations Secretariat in March 1999 at the initiative of the Government of Japan. Since then, total contributions have reached approximately 31.5 billion yen (US$ 279.7 million). The Trust Fund has supported more than 160 projects from UN agencies, each one addressing various threats to human life, livelihood and dignity, from the perspective of human security.

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