JAPAN CONTRIBUTES $3.5 MILLION TO UNRWA PEACE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME IN LEBANON AND JORDAN
Press Release
PAL/1829
JAPAN CONTRIBUTES $3.5 MILLION TO UNRWA PEACE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME IN LEBANON AND JORDAN
19960320 VIENNA, 18 March (UNRWA) -- The Government of Japan has announced a voluntary contribution of $3.5 million for projects under the Peace Implementation Programme of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Lebanon and Jordan.The emergency contribution will be used for the following projects: $2 million for hospitalization services in Lebanon for 1996/1997; $300,000 for the provision of medical supplies in Lebanon; $200,000 for shelter repair and reconstruction in Jordan; and $1 million for the construction and maintenance of pathways and drains in Jordan.
Responding to the announcement, UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen thanked the Japanese Government for the voluntary contribution, calling it "another demonstration of Japan's generosity and friendship to the Palestinian people and its strong commitment to the Middle East peace process".
The contribution to UNRWA was made as part of the $10 million in additional assistance for Palestinians, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Yukihiko Ikeda announced at the "Summit of the Peacemakers" in Egypt on 13 March.
The $3.5 million brings the Government of Japan's support for the Peace Implementation Programme to $31 million since October 1993, making it the second largest donor to the Programme after the United States. Japan is also a major donor to the Agency's regular budget. The Japanese contributions to UNRWA in 1995 amounted to $29.1 million -- $11.5 million for the General Fund, $9.1 million for food assistance $6.5 million for the Peace Implementation Programme and $2 million towards the relocation of Headquarters (Vienna) to the area of operations.
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