Japan to donate $10.6 in development aid to Pakistan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Japan is set to donate $10.6 million to Pakistan to help the country fight against malnutrition, improve livelihoods and boost capacities to respond to natural disasters, a UN agency has announced.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said Japanese aid will be used in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan.

"It will be a partnership that the Government of Japan signed with the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Islamabad," UNDP said late on Tuesday.

UNDP said that out of the total $10.6 million, $3.5 million will be used towards the early identification and treatment of 155,000 acutely malnourished mothers and children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including families who have been displaced from Afghanistan and vulnerable host populations.

Part of the Japanese donation will be allocated to increasing local and national preparedness levels against natural disasters, including the launching of pilot tsunami early warning systems, and enhancing the resilience of communities to coastal hazards with a specific focus on women and children.