Japan to provide food aid through UNRWA- Japanese Foreign Ministry press release/Non-UN document (excerpts)

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Exchange of Notes concerning Grant Aid (Food Aid) through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for Palestinian Refugees

August 13, 2007

1. The Government of Japan has decided to extend grant aid of 500 million yen (equivalent to 4.3 million US dollars) as food aid through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  Notes to this effect were exchanged on August 13 (Mon) (the same day local time) in a suburb of Amman, the capital city of Jordan, between Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Mr. Filippo Grandi, Deputy Commissioner-General of UNRWA.

2. The living conditions of the refugees remain difficult due to the problem of the Palestinian refugees.  Many refugees in the Gaza Strip continue to suffer great hardships including poverty, even after Hamas seized control the Strip in June 2007.  From a viewpoint of easing such a situation, Japan has decided to implement this food aid as humanitarian assistance, in response to the request of the UNRWA.  UNRWA plans to distribute wheat flour and/or pulses purchased with this food aid mainly to about 350,000 poor and needy refugees (especially in the Gaza Strip), including refugees who are registered as special hardship cases, out of the refugees in the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

3. It is expected that this food aid will alleviate the serious situation of the Palestinian refugees.