The Government of Japan has contributed new assistance, for 2019, in the amount of $32,983,034, to the Palestinian people, for projects to be carried out through mainly United Nations organizations and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), on Thursday.
According to a press statement by the Representative Office of Japan to Palestine, in the central occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the new contribution, which will be disbursed for all projects by the end of March, includes assistance for Palestinian refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Near East (UNRWA), at the amount of over $17.7 million, most going for emergency response for humanitarian assistance in the besieged Gaza Strip, at a total of $13.2 million.
A total of $3.3 million will go towards the installation of solar energy panels to mitigate the energy crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, in addition to urgent support for health and protection needs, through information and communication technology sector development, as well as employability and technical skills for resilient Palestinian youth.
In addition, other projects will also be implemented in partnership with various international organizations, in collaboration with Japanese NGOs.
The statement said that the philosophy of the new assistance lies in strengthening humanitarian assistance for refugees and internally displaced people, supporting social stabilization and de-radicalization through education and job creation for the youth, and promoting women’s health, to name a few.
The statement added, “The Government of Japan is strongly committed to supporting the two-state solution through those humanitarian and developmental projects.”
While the grand total for the occupied Palestinian territories amounts to $27,706,249, the government of Japan would also provide UNRWA with an additional $5,276,784, to support Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, with $580,357, and Syria with $4,696,427, bringing the total amount of the budget including these supports to $32,983,034.
Since 1993, the Government of Japan has extended its official development assistance, amounting to approximately $1.9 billion, to Palestine.
