Japan to Give Reconstruction Aid to Haiti

Red Orbit.com
Posted on: Friday, 19 September 2008, 06:00 CDT


Tokyo, Sept. 19 Kyodo - Japan will provide $1.6 million worth of emergency grant to hurricane-stricken Haiti through the UN World Food Programme and the International Organization for Migration to provide food and reconstruction assistance, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The provision is in response to the United Nations' appeal on Sept. 10 for donors to pledge almost $108 million to support the recovery and relief efforts over the next six months.

Friday's decision included about $1 million to the WFP to distribute food aid such as cereal, beans, cooking oil and salt, and about $600,000 to the IOM to repair shelters and to provide kitchen utensils and other necessary equipment, the ministry said.

The grant comes in addition to 39 million yen ($370,000) worth of emergency relief aid such as tents, blankets and water tanks that Japan pledged earlier after a series of hurricanes devastated Haiti between mid-August and early September.

Originally published by Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 0658 19 Sep 08.

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