Japan announces additional $38.9mn for flood victims

The government of Japan on Wednesday announced to provide a grant worth $38.9 million to Pakistan as part of its supplementary budget to deliver life-saving aid to the flood victims.

In a statement, the Embassy of Japan said the "government will support the affected population in various social and economic dimensions in partnership with WHO, UNFPA, FAO, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, UNWOMEN, UNHCR, and IPPF in Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab provinces, as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory.”

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For the total grant assistance of $34.2 million, the proposed areas of support include emergency medical assistance, food distribution, agriculture and livestock restoration, livelihood recreation, and gender-based violence risk mitigation and response.

To ensure the rapid roll-out to reach the most vulnerable, these projects will commence in January 2023, it said.

Japan will also provide support through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), equivalent to $4.7 million, for recovery from the floods in health, agriculture, education, gender, and resilient disaster management, thereby contributing to 'Build Back Better' in Pakistan, the statement added.

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It is pertinent to mention here that Japan provided $7 million as an emergency grant to address the immediate impact of the floods in September 2022.

“The government of Japan, with a long-standing partnership with Pakistan, stands ready to support the people of Pakistan to overcome the ongoing humanitarian crisis,” the statement said. “The unprecedented levels of flooding have triggered a multi-dimensional humanitarian crisis, leaving the affected population with increased health risks and food insecurity, insecure livelihoods, and heightened vulnerabilities to gender-based violence.”