Emergency Grant Aid for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Republic of Yemen

November 10, 2009
Japanese

The conflict between the government forces and armed Shiite opposition group, continuing mainly in Sa’ada Province in the northern part of the Republic of Yemen, has resulted in approximately 150,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Government of Japan decided on November 10 (Tue) to provide these IDPs with emergency grant aid of approximately 1.92 million USD (approximately 200 million JPY) through the World Food Programme (WFP), The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
This conflict broke out on August 11 and marks the sixth round of fighting between the government forces and armed Shiite opposition group. Up until now, approximately 150,000 IDPs have become exposed to critical humanitarian conditions. This grant aid will supply necessary funds for food distribution, refugee registration, management of mobile medical teams, and other measures for the sake of these IDPs in response to the humanitarian assistance appeal (amount of appeal: 23.75 million USD) issued on September 2 by the United Nations as well as in response to the request from the Government of Yemen.
The Government of Yemen is concurrently dealing not only with the conflicts in Sa’ada Province and other areas, but also with many difficult issues, such as piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, terrorism carried out by Al-Qaeda, and severe poverty and underdevelopment. Yemen touches the waters off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, where approximately 2,000 Japan-related ships pass through each year. It is also among the poorest countries that adjoin the oil-producing Gulf region which is exceedingly important for Japan's energy security. In this sense, preserving Yemen’s safety and security is essential not only for the citizens of Yemen but for Japan as well. Through this grant aid, Japan supports the improvement of the lives of the IDPs living in poverty and contributes to alleviating Yemen’s difficulties. Japan also strongly expects that the parties in the conflict achieve a ceasefire promptly through negotiation and dialogue.

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