YANGON, MYANMAR – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a US$4 million contribution from the Government of Japan to support families struggling to meet their basic food needs.
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The Government of Japan has provided $50 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to support more than 20 countries, including Myanmar, to help tackle a WFP funding shortfall, according to a statement issued 15 February.
The WFP announced that $5.8 million will be provided to Myanmar in the aid programme.
From the contribution, US$13.5 million will help the most desperate in Afghanistan through emergency food distribution and nutrition assistance. In Afghanistan, the economic crisis has worsened since the Taliban takeover in 2021, and one in three people does not know where their next meal will come from. The earthquakes in the Herat region and the recent forced return of Afghans from Pakistan have further aggravated the crisis in the country.
More than US$11 million will be allocated to provide food, nutrition, and livelihood assistance to the conflict-affected people in the Palestinian Territories. The hostilities since October 2023 have resulted in large-scale displacement and put the total population of 2.2 million people Gaza in acute hunger.
In Myanmar, US$5.8 million will go to emergency food and nutrition assistance programmes for the most vulnerable, including displaced school children in conflict-affected states and regions. The country is experiencing a surge in food insecurity due to mass displacements, the political crisis, the economic downturn, and extreme weather events including Cyclone Mocha in May 2023.
In Ukraine, Japan is supporting WFP’s food assistance to respond to the immediate needs of families affected by the war with $4.7 million. One in five Ukrainian families is estimated to be food insecure, and most of those who live close to the frontline have great difficulty accessing food.
The conflict in Sudan, which has been going on since April 2023, has put the country on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe with the effects felt throughout the fragile region. Japan’s contribution of $ 1.9 million will be used to provide life-saving emergency food assistance to families in need. Nearly 18 million people are suffering from acute hunger and at least 7.6 million people have been displaced.
A further grant of $2 million will support tackling deteriorating food insecurity among Yemen’s most vulnerable people with life-saving assistance.
“We are grateful for this invaluable contribution from the people of Japan. This contribution enables us to reach families who suffer from hunger and lack of access to food as a result of conflict and disasters, supporting the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable households,” said Yasuhiro Tsumura, Director of the WFP Japan Relations Office. “WFP is facing a critical funding shortage now. Cutting rations, however, will only increase the number of people in need. We sincerely ask for the continued support of the people of Japan.”
Japan has consistently been one of WFP’s top donors. The countries and regions benefitting from this year’s $50 million supplementary funding are: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Haiti, Jordan, Liberia, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen.
