"Nearly a third of the population of Afghanistan currently does not know where their next meal will come from and they urgently need humanitarian food security assistance," said Ambassador Takayoshi Kuromiya, "Japan continues to stand with the people of Afghanistan and also invests into the future of the country through our support to WFP's work with primary school girl and boy students."
With this contribution, WFP plans to reach nearly 630,000 food-insecure people through food assistance and treat more than 42,000 malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children. Almost 36,000 school children in primary school will receive fortified biscuits as daily school snacks to help them stay healthy and learn better.
"This contribution comes at a critical moment for the many families across the country who are less prepared than ever to face the harsh Afghan winter when hunger bites hardest," said Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan. "We thank the people and the Government of Japan for their support to the vulnerable communities in Afghanistan."
The Government of Japan has been a strong and reliable partner to WFP in Afghanistan. This latest contribution brings the total funding from Japan over the past three years to US$73 million.
In October 2023, Japan had contributed US$1 million to WFP to support the response to the impact of the earthquakes that rocked Herat Province in the west of the country which flattened several villages, destroyed homes and livelihoods in an already food-insecure region of the country affected by drought.
Japan has also been a regular supporter of UNHAS, which operates safe and reliable flights for aid workers in Afghanistan when no commercial options are available. From January to October 2023, UNHAS flew more than 19,000 passengers to 24 destinations and transported 38 metric tons of humanitarian cargo for humanitarian UN and NGO partners.
