The Government of Japan and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) have signed an agreement, under which the Government of Japan will contribute 500 million yen (around US$4.76 million) for UNRWA’s food assistance programme benefiting needy Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The agreement, which was signed by Japan’s Ambassador to Jordan Mr. Koichi Obata and UNRWA's Commissioner-General Mr. Peter Hansen, will enable UNRWA to distribute wheat flour and pulses to needy refugee families registered with UNRWA as Special Hardship Cases.

Japan, a major donor of cash and food assistance to UNRWA, has also been a generous contributor to projects implemented by the Agency in the five fields of operations. Recently the Japanese Government announced a $15 million contribution to UNRWA’s Emergency Appeal for 2005. This will enable UNRWA to implement a large-scale rehousing project in Rafah, Gaza, for refugees whose homes were demolished by the Israeli military and to create jobs in the Gaza Strip, where unemployment is extremely high.

The Japanese Government’s contributions to UNRWA’s regular budget, food aid and projects over the last 10 years has amounted to more than $160 million.

UNRWA provides basic education, health, relief and social services for more than 4.1 million Palestine refugees registered with the Agency.