Tehran – The Japanese government has donated $360,000 to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support organizations supporting Iranian refugees.
The WFP will use generous contributions to purchase essential flour to support the most vulnerable refugees living in Iranian settlements. Flour is a staple food, an important source of energy and an important part of diet for many refugees, the WFP website announced in a press release on March 4th.
By providing flour, WFP allows refugees to access multipurpose, nutritious ingredients that can be used to prepare bread. This support not only helps meet their immediate food needs, but also promotes food security and stability within refugee settlements.
“We are pleased to announce that we are a great place to go,” said Meisa Algribawi, WFP president and country director for the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“This important contribution reflects Japan’s unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the most vulnerable refugees, and we are truly grateful for their partnership and trust in their work.”
WFP currently supports 33,000 Afghan and Iraqi refugees living in 20 villages across the country, with food, education and livelihood support.
“Japan has supported Afghan refugees living in Iran for over 40 years and praised the long-standing commitment to providing Iranian refugees with the same level of healthcare and education as Iranian citizens.”
“At the same time, we recognize that the increase in Afghan refugees in Iran will pose a major challenge for the Iranian government. We hope this contribution will help reduce the nutritional needs of Afghan refugees,” Tskada added.
Iran’s Islamic Republic is one of the world’s largest refugee hosts that has provided essential support to 3.8 million refugees and individuals like refugees over the past 40 years. The country provides displaced people primarily from Afghanistan and Iraq, providing access to healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities, and demonstrates a strong commitment to refugee welfare.
The United Nations World Food Program is the world’s largest humanitarian organization that uses food aid to save lives in emergencies and to build a path to peace, stability and prosperity for those recovering from the effects of conflict, disasters and climate change.
Japan is committed to supporting Iran
In January, Tsuda highlighted the Japanese government’s determination to support Iran in hosting Afghan refugees.
Referring to the number of Afghan refugees living in Iran and astronomical costs in a variety of fields, including education, health and treatment, Tsuda announced that Japan is ready to provide educational services to Afghan refugees living in Iran.
Officials spoke during a meeting with Nadar Yar Ahmadi, head of Tehran’s National Immigration Agency.
Celebrating Iran’s efforts in hosting refugees, Japanese officials emphasized the importance of increasing joint efforts between the two countries, attracting the support of other international organizations to address issues, particularly the issues of substance abuse and addiction.
Yar-Ahmadi announced on his part that the country is ready to cooperate with Japan in the area mentioned.
The official continued, “Japan, together with other countries, hopes to provide more humanitarian services to refugees, particularly in infrastructure areas such as health and education.”
Yal Ahmadi has no capacity to in-person education for foreigners in the country and has called on the Japanese ambassador to work with the state to implement a virtual education program for Iranian refugees.
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