A few days ago, the Japanese government announced funding of 1.7 million dollars for sustainable development and to strengthen the humanitarian response to the complex crisis in the north of the country.

According to a note that MZNews had access to, Japan's support will be implemented through three United Nations (UN) entities.

The announcement was made during an official ceremony in Maputo, attended by representatives of the Mozambican government, Ambassador Faruque Omar Faquirá, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Asia and Oceania of the Mozambican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MINEC); the Japanese Ambassador to Mozambique, Keiji Hamada; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

On the occasion, the Japanese Ambassador, Keiji Hamada, said that due to the frequent attacks, more than 700,000 people have been internally displaced since October 2017.

In this context, given the possibility that economic disparities contributed to the outbreak of the attacks, both humanitarian and development assistance must be provided on an ongoing basis," said the ambassador.

In 2022, Japan reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Africa's efforts to strengthen peace by preventing conflicts and addressing the root causes of conflicts, and reaffirmed the importance of the "humanitarian-development-peace nexus".

"We sincerely hope that the three new projects will contribute to the stabilization of Cabo Delgado and help Mozambicans in need," he said.

On the other hand, the FAO Representative in Mozambique, José Luis Fernandez, said that the northern provinces of Mozambique, Cabo Delgado in particular, face complex challenges, both from conflicts and the impact of climatic events and, in this context, the mission is more critical than expected. Fernandez emphasized that the Government of Japan's support for this project makes it possible to respond directly to the urgent needs of those who have returned to their areas of origin in Cabo Delgado, with the aim of rebuilding and improving their agriculture-based livelihoods, focusing on agricultural and fishing production. The aim is to improve their food and nutritional security.

communities in a sustainable way, especially among women and young people. "Assuming it benefits 16,750 vulnerable people who have returned to their areas of origin in the districts of Quissanga, Mocímboa da Praia and Palma, the project is set to restore their agriculture-based livelihoods and improve food and nutrition security, ultimately reducing aid dependency," he concluded.

"On behalf of UNHCR and the people we serve, I would like to thank the people of Japan for their additional support. The generous funding provided by the Government of Japan has helped the UN in Mozambique for many years to support thousands of displaced people affected by the crisis in Cabo Delgado."

UNHCR is proud to be a consistent partner of the Government of Japan in Mozambique. The new funding for 2024 will enable UNHCR to provide crucial assistance to displaced populations in Cabo Delgado by improving the places where they are hosted, providing IDPs with civil documentation and legal assistance and supplying Basic Aid Items to IDPs who are in acute humanitarian need," said UNHCR Representative in Mozambique, Ahmed Baba Fall.

The IOM Chief of Mission in Mozambique, Laura Tomm-Bonde, commented that adopting a durable solutions approach is crucial to respond to the growing number of people returning to their areas of origin, which exceeded 600,000 in December 2023, coupled with ongoing displacement.

"IOM is committed to advocating for durable solutions for IDP returnees, IDPs and affected communities. The project funded by the Government of Japan aims to cover returnees, IDPs and people from affected communities, including women, men and youth, to support people in building resilience to promote durable solutions, sustainable peace and resilience for returnees, IDPs and host communities in conflict-affected areas. We are committed to further strengthening collaboration and coordination with the Government of Mozambique and Japan, as well as with other UN agencies and stakeholders, to effectively address root causes and prevent violence and conflict," said Laura.