South Sudan: Japan allocates $35m for peace consolidation
By Julius N. Uma
April 5, 2012 (JUBA) – The Japanese government has earmarked $35m from the 2011 supplementary budget as its contribution in response to the United Nations contingency and other emergency appeals for joint efforts to consolidate peace in newly independent South Sudan.
The announcement, according to a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, emerged during the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
During the conference, Akinori Wada, the Japanese envoy to South Sudan underlined his country’s commitment to fulfill the pledge made, adding that the Japanese government is determined to support the development and economic growth of Africa.
“Japan is committed to make every effort to achieve lasting peace and stability in South Sudan, which is of great importance in this region. This commitment is the backbone of my government’s policy toward this country, and the fact that the total amount of Japan’s grant assistance to South Sudan in 2011 reached 35 million US dollars would confirm our strong commitment,” Wada said in the statement.
The Japanese government, through its 2011 supplementary budget, has reportedly injected over $340m to international agencies operating in African, 10 percent of which has been allocated to South Sudan.
Japan has contributed towards South Sudan’s post-war recovery efforts by providing assistance to human resource development through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
JICA’s technical cooperation has also supported capacity building in the areas of maternal and child health, water and sanitation, agriculture, vocational training and governance in South Sudan.
Since the 2005 signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the Japanese government says it has provided over $581m in assistance to Sudan and South Sudan. Japan is the second largest financial contributor to the UN’s global peacekeeping operations.
The World Food Programme (WFP), UN High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and UN Education, Scienctific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are the organisations earmarked to benefit from the $35m Japanese grant.
(ST)