UNHCR receives $2 million from Japan to support refugees in Sudan

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has received a contribution of $2 million from Japan to protect and assist South Sudanese refugees in Sudan. Japan’s funding will help UNHCR work with the government of Sudan to address the increasing humanitarian needs of South Sudanese refugees who have sought safety in Sudan due to the continued violence in their country.

In a press statement from Khartoum today, UNHCR Representative, Noriko Yoshida said: “We are very grateful to the people of Japan for their support. This contribution is yet another show of Japan’s solidarity with South Sudanese refugees and Sudanese host communities.

“UNHCR is committed to working together with Japan to ensure that the assistance reaches vulnerable refugees, but also, importantly, to find solutions for their situation,” Yoshida said.

Today's statement says that Japan’s funding will help UNHCR provide urgent life-saving assistance and international protection to 160,000 refugees and host communities in White Nile and East Darfur States. The assistance will include access to safe water, emergency shelter, and core relief items, such as jerry cans, kitchen tools and sleeping mats. It will also allow UNHCR to support the registration of South Sudanese refugees by the Commissioner for Refugees (COR) and to provide protection and assistance to unaccompanied and separated children.

$224 million shortfall

“The Japanese government, recognising the scale of the crisis, supports this project which is the continuation of intervention for South Sudanese refugees,” said Ambassador of Japan to Sudan, Shinji Urabayashi. He also said “I highly appreciate the generosity of the government and the people of Sudan and the important role they play in response to this refugee crisis.”

Sudan is one of the countries hosting the largest number of refugees and asylum-seekers in the region, including from South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Syria and Yemen. This funding comes at a critical time, with UNHCR’s operations in Sudan only 14 per cent funded for 2018 – leaving a $224 million shortfall.

Japan-Unicef project

Last month, Japan and Unicef launched a new project for conflict affected children and communities in Darfur and South Kordofan.

The “Integrated Response to Conflict Affected Children (Internally Displaced, Refugee and Host Community) in Sudan’s Darfur (North, Central, South) and South Kordofan states” one-year project was launched thanks to a $2 million contribution from the government of Japan. The project will allow Unicef to support the most vulnerable children and women affected by emergency situations in the Darfurs (Jebel Marra) and in South Kordofan.

The aim of the project is to enhance child survival and protection through the delivery of an integrated package of life-saving basic services that contribute to fostering social cohesion between internally displaced persons, refugees and vulnerable communities in these area