The Government of Japan said Friday that it has earmarked some 14 million euros in emergency aid for the export of grain mostly from Ukraine to Somalia in an attempt to alleviate the severe food crisis in the country.
The Japanese Embassy in Ukraine has indicated in a statement released through Facebook that this assistance will be provided through the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), which will be responsible for distributing the food to the local population.
The text notes that the financial assistance seeks to relieve the Ukrainian government of payments in this regard and underlines Japan’s work to «help countries cope with food crises caused by rising grain prices, especially in the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine.»
«This assistance in different regions of Africa is also crucial in terms related to a free and open Indo-Pacific region,» he said before stressing the need to «develop and improve the humanitarian situation» in countries such as Somalia. In this regard, the Embassy will continue to support measures to «promote peace, stability and anti-terrorism policies» in the region.
In September, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced the shipment of 50,000 tons of grain as humanitarian aid to Ethiopia and Somalia.