Assistance for United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security project "Support to ex-poppy farmers and poor vulnerable families in border areas" Project in Myanmar

January 29, 2007

On the 29th of January (Monday), the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 948,200 US dollars (approximately 105.25 million yen), through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled "Support to ex-poppy farmers and poor vulnerable families in border areas" that will be implemented by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Union of Myanmar.
As a result of a ban on poppy production initiated by the Government of Myanmar and local authorities, a large number of ex-poppy farmers in Shan State, where poppy growing was the only means of livelihood for decades, suffer from serious poverty and food shortage caused by the absence of alternative income opportunities and support. This project aims at improving socio-economic conditions of ex-poppy farmers and vulnerable families in the state. The following activities will be implemented.
- Applying Food-for-Work and Food-for-Training schemes to improve food security of vulnerable households;
- Introducing alternative crops and improved agricultural technology to farmers in order to increase food production and productivity;
- Improving income generating opportunities through agricultural and marketable skill training;
- Renovating primary schools and applying Food-for-Education scheme to increase school attendance rates;
- Increasing accesses to non-formal education for women and adolescent girls and empowering them through functional literacy training;
- Raising awareness on health/hygiene, HIV/AIDS and gender issues.
This project is expected to facilitate the transition from a poppy-dependent livelihood to alternate livelihood for ex-poppy farmers and ensure the sustainable development in Shan State.

(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 33.5 billion yen (US$ 297.7 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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