Maputo — The Japanese government has disbursed 7.4 million US dollars to support a project on youth empowerment and peace construction in cases of conflict in the northern Mozambican provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado.

According to Maria Fornara, a representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), cited by the Maputo daily "Notícias', the project will target 170,000 people "to strengthen educational competence among children and youth, especially in three areas: change in social behaviour, mobilization of communities and provision of services.'

"This aid is crucial at a moment when the country faces many crises. It means that the assistance has to be immediate, as well as over the long term', Fornara said, adding that the northern region of the country, especially Cabo Delgado, urgently needs assistance as it has been plagued by armed conflict since 2017.

UNICEF, according to Fornara, is using its multi-sector capacities to implement programmes focused on humanitarian aid.

"Thank to the Japanese government, UNICEF, working with its partners, will strengthen aid to women with children, providing advice and support in well-being, so that they can know how to feed their families properly', she said.

For his part, the representative of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paul Gomis, stated that the project will contribute to implementation of the resilience programme and to the Integrated Development of the Northern Region.

"UNESCO reiterates its support for the implementation of this plan through the Ministry of Education and Human Development, the State Secretariat of Youth and Employment, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and other relevant sectors', he said.