Joint Press Release by the Governments of Japan and UK

Japan-UK Cooperation in the field of Conflict Prevention
-- JOINT FUNDING OF THE COMMUNITY REINTEGRATION PROGRAMME IN SIERRA LEONE --

1. On December 13 (Fri.), 2002, the Government of Japan decided to contribute 300 Million Yen (ca. 1.5 Million UK Pounds) to the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone in order to assist the "Community Reintegration Programme: Phase 2 (CRP 2)". The UK Government has already committed 8.7 million Pounds (ca. 1.7 Billion Yen) for CRP 2. CRP 2 was initiated by the UK Government in May 2002 in order to promote re-integration of ex-combatants in Sierra Leone and the Government of Japan will become a joint contributor to this programme. Since the announcement of "Action Agenda 21" was made in September 1999 by then Foreign Ministers Masahiko Koumura and Robin Cook, both governments have been pursuing cooperation in various fields including in the area of conflict prevention. This joint funding should be regarded as the first specific and concrete cooperation of the two countries in the area of conflict prevention.

2. In October 2001, the Governments of Japan and UK dispatched a joint fact finding mission to Sierra Leone to identify possible conflict prevention projects which the two governments could jointly implement. The mission was composed of members of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the British Department for International Development. Following the findings of the mission, both governments started to identify possible joint projects and decided to fund jointly CRP 2 in Sierra Leone.

3. CRP 2 includes projects aiming at fostering reconciliation and re-integration of ex-combatants in Sierra Leone by promoting communities' understanding of practical aspects of reconciliation and re-integration, reviving sustainable natural resource-based activities, rehabilitating physical infrastructure, and ensuring access to reliable and safe water supplies. Through those projects under CRP 2, re-integration of ex-combatants in Sierra Leone will be further promoted and fostered with a view to accelerating peace process, preventing recurrence of conflicts and promoting post-conflict peace building in that country.

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