H.E. Mr. Koichi Takemasa, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs visits Jordan, signs US $6.88 million food aid grant with UNRWA

 

 

      The Government of Japan has decided to extend a grant as Food Aid worth of 600 million yen (equivalent to 6.88 million US dollars) to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Notes to this effect were exchanged on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at the UNRWA Women’s Programme Centre in Wihdat Camp (Amman New Camp) between Mr. Koichi Takemasa, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General of UNRWA.

 

      Representing the Host countries for the Palestine refugees, Mr. Wajeeh Azayzeh, Director General of the Department of Palestinian Affairs attended the signing ceremony. The grant will be used for the purchase of wheat flour and pulses.

 

      Palestine refugees need international assistance more than ever, in the face of severe political and economic situations surrounding them. Especially the situation of Palestine refugees in Gaza is a great concern. Currently, unemployment rate is 46%, and 80% of Gazans are dependent on some form of aid. They suffer from scarcity of food, commodities and construction materials. To address this situation and mitigate the hardship of the refugees, Japan decided to implement this food aid as humanitarian assistance in response to the request of UNRWA.

 

      Japan’s assistance to the Palestinian refugees through UNRWA, which began in 1953, has amounted to approximately 600 million US dollars including Food Aid. Assistance to the Palestine refugees through UNRWA has been one of the pillars of Japan’s peace efforts in the region. The Government of Japan will continue to support UNRWA’s activities in partnership with donor countries as well as host governments.

 

     Mr. Koichi Takemasa, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Japan, visited the region to encourage relevant parties to realize a success in direct talks which will be resumed on September 2 in Washington D.C.. Mr. Takemasa’s visit marks Japan’s commitment in the Middle East peace process, together with the recent visit of Ambassador Yutaka Iimura, Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East to the region in July.

 

      In Jordan, Mr. Takemasa met with Prime Minister Samir Rifai and Minister for Foreign Affairs ad interim (Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs) Suhair Ali as follow-up of the visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein to Japan in April 2010 and to discuss the Middle East peace process. The meetings were productive and served to further deepen the bilateral relationship between Japan and Jordan.

 

 

With Prime Minister Rifai	With Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Suhair Al Ali

 

            

During the food aid grant signing ceremony with UNRWA         With Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Mr. Filippo Grandi