KABUL (SW) – An agreement to support internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees in Afghanistan was signed on Monday, between representatives from Japan and the Afghanistan branch of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
According to Takayoshi Kuromiya, the Japanese Ambassador to Kabul, the government of Japan will provide $6 million in aid to the Afghanistan branch of UNHCR under this agreement.
“This aid focuses on creating stability and empowering vulnerable groups, especially women. Key areas of return and reintegration will see the establishment of dairy processing centers, cold storage facilities, greenhouses, carpet weaving and silk weaving centers, and marketplaces. Vulnerable community members will receive technical training and capacity-building support to start their own businesses,” Kuromiya said.
In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Arafat Jamal, head of the Afghanistan branch of UNHCR, said that with Japan’s assistance, 15,000 internally displaced persons and returnees will be supported.
“With this new initiative by JICA, over 15,000 Afghans will benefit from programs designed to strengthen themselves, help others, and foster prosperity in returnee communities,” he said.
Both Japan’s and the UNHCR representatives emphasized that the displacement of thousands from Iran and Pakistan has further exacerbated Afghanistan’s vulnerability.
According to UNHCR data, Afghanistan has over three million internally displaced persons, and nearly two million Afghan citizens have returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past year.
