Japan supports WFP air service in Sudan

March 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Sunday hailed a contribution of US$1.7 million by the Japanese government in support of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Sudan.

The Japanese grant will help the UN humanitarian agency to keep to run a reliable and safe air service and facilitate travel of aid workers to remote and hard-to-reach locations across Darfur and in central and eastern Sudan.

“I hope our donation to UNHAS will contribute to facilitating humanitarian operations and help people affected by conflicts and disasters to regain peaceful lives,” said Hideki Ito, the Ambassador of Japan to Sudan.

The Government of Japan is contributing regularly to support WFP activities in Sudan.

Since 2007, Japan has contributed some US$126 million to WFP’s emergency operations in Sudan in addition to US$20 million for common services that benefit the entire humanitarian community such as the building of roads and provision of a safe and reliable air service (UNHAS).

WFP representative and director of its office in Sudan, Adnan Khan welcomed the Japanese contribution saying “These timely funds will help WFP maintain an air service that is part and parcel of our operations in Sudan and is crucial for humanitarian work across Sudan.”

In 2015, UNHAS carried 37,129 passengers – half of them UN staff and the remainder mostly NGO staff, in addition to a small number of government officials, donor representatives and diplomats.

(ST)