Maputo — The Government of Japan has allocated JPY 300 million -approximately US$2 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide crucial humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected populations in northern Mozambique. Food insecurity has increased in northern Mozambique in recent years, exacerbated by insecurity, recurrent displacement, and climatic and economic shocks. The contribution will help WFP to provide food assistance to some of the country's most vulnerable populations, reaching around 48,000 internally displaced people in Cabo Delgado province with in-kind rations of Japanese rice and canned fish over a six-month period.
"In response to the severe challenge that northern Mozambique has been facing, the Government of Japan has been supporting people by providing both humanitarian and development assistance," said Keiji HAMADA, Ambassador of Japan to Mozambique. "We hope that, under this new partnership with WFP, Japanese rice and canned fish will be delivered to people in need as many as possible and contribute to the improvement of food insecurity."
WFP will provide rice and canned fish in areas where markets have been disrupted by ongoing insecurity through bi-monthly distributions.
"The strength of our partnership with Japan, as well as with WFP, underlines the importance of unity and collaboration in the view of adversity imposed by the many events affecting our country" said Luísa Meque, President of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (INGD).
Through this collaboration, WFP and the Government of Japan will work together with the Government of Mozambique to support vulnerable communities in northern Mozambique to meet their essential food and nutrition needs and foster lasting stability and recovery in the region, promoting a pathway to long-term food security and well-being.
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"This generous contribution from the Japanese government comes at a critical time for the people of Mozambique," said Maurício Burtet, WFP Deputy Country Director. "It will allow us to provide life-saving food assistance to those who have been displaced by the conflict, ensuring that they have access to nutritious food during these difficult times".
The Government of Japan is a long-standing partner of WFP in Mozambique. Since 2019, Japan has provided US$ 26 million to WFP's humanitarian operations by providing emergency food assistance to internally displaced people in Cabo Delgado province, people affected by cyclone Idai in Sofala province, and drought-affected populations in Gaza province. Japan's contributions to WFP have also supported livelihoods activities to refugees and asylum-seekers in Maratane Refugee Camp, Nampula Province, and smallholders' agriculture and market support activities in Ribaue and Malema districts, also in Nampula province.
