Government of Japan donates over US$2 million to UNICEF Jordan to support post-COVID recovery for children

The Government of Japan has donated over US$ 2 million to UNICEF to support recovery efforts for children in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding will support UNICEF’s work with the Government of Jordan to aid socio-economic recovery efforts to protect children and youth from the worst impacts of the pandemic – as well as supporting a climate resilient future for the country through the provision of equitable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services.

“In this difficult time, socio-economic impacts on vulnerable communities are a great concern in Jordan. We sincerely hope that our support through UNICEF will contribute to mitigating such negative impacts and increasing resilience of vulnerable people to respond to various challenges related to COVID-19,” H.E. Ambassador SHIMAZAKI Kaoru said, “We appreciate the important role of UNICEF as a precious partner for implementing activities of our projects especially in the WASH, Social Protection, Child Protection and Youth sectors”.

“We are extremely grateful to the Government of Japan for their continued commitment and support to the most vulnerable children and their families in all governorates of Jordan. Together, we can reimagine a better future for every child so they can grow up healthy, safe and protected,” said Tanya Chapuisat, Representative, UNICEF Jordan.

The generous contribution from the Government of Japan will enable UNICEF to scale up services for vulnerable communities now and for the future. This includes the provision of enhanced social support and meaningful employment opportunities for young people whose options have significantly decreased due to socioeconomic conditions brought on by the pandemic, with the programme focusing in particular on the empowerment of young women.

It will also support climate-resilience and improve social cohesion for vulnerable children and their families experiencing water scarcity through the establishment of WASH infrastructure and restoration projects in communities and schools, as well as integrated learning and child protection services through UNICEF Makani centres.

The Government of Japan is a long and valued partner of UNICEF in Jordan and has provided over US$ 40 million to UNICEF in Jordan since the beginning of the Syrian crisis to support UNICEF’s work to strengthen national systems and provide lifesaving services for children.